A DISSERTATION BASED ON OPD WAITING TIME ON PATIENTS SATISFACTION OF OPD DEPARTMENT IN A

CITY BASED MULTISPECIALITY HOSPITAL

Dissertation work submitted to University of Calcutta in the partial fulfillment of

the award of Masters in Business Administration in Public System with
specialization in Healthcare and hospital Management
By
Roll No: 107/MBP/210072
Session: 2021-2023
Under the guidance of – Dr. Sanghamitra sen

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, KOLKATA

 INTRODUCTION

Out Patient services are the most important service provided by the hospital as
it provides services to a large number of patients at affordable cost. The
utilization of many of the other services provided by the hospital, often depend
on how satisfied the patient is with the outpatient services provided. It is also
well- established that 8-10 per cent of OPD patients need hospitalization. When
well organized and professionally run, not only can such OPDs help avoid
confusion, frustration and overspending by fearful patients but can also regulate
the flow of inpatients to the hospitals.
Patients waiting time has been defined as “The length of time from when the
patient enters the outpatient department to the time the patient actually leaves
the OPD”.
Usually it is observed that patients at the hospital OPDs have to wait for a
disproportionately long time before they can get medical treatment or advice by
professional healthcare workers. Long waiting time in hospitals causes
discontent among patients. In a competitively managed healthcare
environment, long waiting time of patients in an OPD adversely affects the
hospitals ability to attract new increased business. It is difficult to sell services if
individuals are dissatisfied with the delayed process and increased waiting time.
Because of great volume of ambulant patients in most communities, an efficient outpatient
department (OPD) in hospital is clearly of critical importance. This is more because of 3
lower cost of outpatient services compared to inpatients. There are many indicators of
quality assurance in hospitals. In outpatient departments, one of the important indicators
of quality assurance for patients is “waiting time”. Hence it is detrimental for a hospital on
the whole to have long OPD waiting time. NH Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of
cardiac science (RTTICS) in Kolkata is a state of the art hospital which has been set in 2000.
It is a 681 bedded multispecialty hospital which is equipped with premium facilities and
high tech infrastructure.

It is an NABH accredited hospital which prides itself on high quality service and care.
Owing to their dedication to provide quality care as per their boutique status, the RTTICS
aims to reduce the waiting time in the OPD and increase patient satisfaction.
 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• To determine the average time spent by the patient in the OPD.

• To identify the factors responsible for prolonged waiting time in
the OPD.
• To study the causes of the delays and suggest
interventions.
To assess the patient’s satisfaction with the OPD Services provided.
METHODOLOGY

VENUE OF WORK

Name of the Hospitals -

NH Rabindranath Tagore international Institute of Cardiac Science.(RTTICS)
Telephone Number – 186-0208 0208 / 9903 335544

Address – Premises No: 1489, Mukundapur Main Road, 124, Eastern Metropolitan
Bypass, Mukundapur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700099

E-mail- narayanahealth.org

Website – https://www.narayanahealth.org/hospitals/kolkata/rabindra nath-tagore-

international-institute-cardiac-sciences
SAMPLE OF STUDY

Total sample size is 200 [The study was conducted using survey method. I took a total
of 500(approx) patients as sample and took their responses using a questionnaire]
 SAMPLE OF STUDY

PRIMARY DATA: It is the original data that is obtained

through firsthand investigation. For example: data
collected from interviews, experiments, survey, and
questionnaire.

The primary data are collected through the following methods:

QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD
SURVEY METHOD
DIRECT OBSERVATION
 OPD Patient Count

160
140
120
100
80

Mar
April
60
40
20
0

New Follow

The time motion study conducted in the OPD showed the

various bottlenecks in the OPD patient flow which caused
increased waiting time.
 Waiting Time

waiting time in billing

waitinig time for consultation

lab area waiting time

walking appointment waiting

time

Fig.2 –Average Waiting Time The waiting time from consultation / lab to radiology,
reception to radiology, etc. are partly dependent on the decision making time taken
by the patient and are not very significant in nature since the sample size is
inadequate.
Fig. – Mode of appointment Mode of
appointment – 20 %( 40), patients took an
appointment by person, 61.50 %( 123) took an
appointment by phone call and 18.50 %( 37)
did not take any appointment.
Fig. – Satisfaction level regarding provision of waiting time information
International Education & Research Journal August 2016
38.5 patients rated the information provided about the amount of time they
would have to wait as average, 32% as above average, 17% as below average,
10.5% as excellent and 2% as very poor
 RECOMMENDATION

1. The following recommendations were made to reduce waiting time for billing:
• Displaying the consultant's timings in the OPD, as well as online will reduce the
number of enquiries made by the patients.
• Introducing online appointment bookings.

2.Fixed Consultant timings and OPD rooms the following recommendations

were made to reduce waiting time for consultation:
• Patient Centric OPD scheduling, thus increasing utilization.
• Doctors should be advised to adhere to their allotted slots.

3.The following recommendations were made to reduce waiting time for lab:
• All codes must be made available in a soft format to the receptionists.
• Lab technician must be available at all times.

4.Recommendations made after analyzing the patient experience feedback-

• The receptionist staff must be trained to attend phone calls efficiently.

• Once the OPD schedule is finalized, appointments should be taken directly
onto the HIS scheduling system.
 CONCLUSION

physicians and other allied health professionals. The degree to which

health consumers are satisfied with the care received is strongly related to
the quality of the waiting experience. Healthcare organizations that strive
to deliver exceptional services must effectively manage their clinic wait.
Failure to incorporate consumer- driven features into the design of wait
experience could lead to patient and provider dissatisfaction.
ANNEXURE
Patient Experience Feedback
Name-
Age-
Sex-
Occupation-
Residential Locality-
MRN No.-

1)How did you know about this hospital OPD?

From Referring Doctor Friends/Relatives Newspaper/Ads/Brochures Others ------------------------------------

2)Did you take an appointment or make an enquiry about the doctor's availability?
Yes No

3)If yes, how was the appointment taken?

By Person By Phone Call NHcare app

4)How satisfied are you with the way your appointment was taken/phone call handled?
Highly Satisfied SatisfiedAverage Not SatisfiedNot Applicable

5)How would you rate the reception staffs guidance and information regarding waiting time upon arrival in the OPD?
Excellent Above Average Average Below Average Very Poor

6)How much time did it take you to meet your doctor after your arrival?
<15mins 15-30mins 30mins-1hour >1hour

7)How would you rate the hygiene and comfort of the hospital OPD?
1 2 3 4 5
(1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest rating)

8)Any other suggestions for improvement in the OPD