[How can less waiting time improve patient flow in Primary care clinics?]

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The research wanted to address the topic of patient flow in hospitals. The researcher focused on one aspect only. He focused on how the waiting time at primary care unit affect the overall patient flow in any hospital. The researcher did in-depth study for this purpose. The research questions addressed in the research includes what is impact of waiting on patient in primary care clinics? What are the factors that lead to increase in waiting time? How the patient flow can be improved by managing the waiting time? The methodology used by the researcher was mixed research. The researcher reached meaningful conclusion after in-depth study.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Scope1

Problem Statement1

Significance2

Research questions3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4

Patient flow definition4

Patient Flow Essential5

The Goal of Patient Flow Improvement: Myths and Reality5

Time in the System and the Waiting Time6

Primary Care Unit Wait Time6

Outpatient Wait Time7

Number of Patients Waiting9

Productivity and Service Time10

Improving System Performance10

Improvement in Process11

Use existing Data to Track Patient Flow11

Discharge Existing Waiting Unit Expansion11

Transportation Level Optimized11

Appointment via Simulations12

Bed Management System12

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY13

Mixed Research13

Classification of research methods13

Multi-method studies14

Mixed method studies14

Steps in mixed methodology14

Strength and weakness of the mixed research15

Strengths15

Weaknesses16

Research Design16

Literature Search17

Instrument for Data Collection17

Data Analysis17

Reliability17

Research Validity18

Credibility19

REFERENCES20

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

Whenever a patient enters in to the primary care unit, he has to wait for some time to see the doctor. The length of wait varies with the time of the day and the type of hospital. The patient gets irritated by this most of the time. There are various reasons for this delay, and in this research the reasons will be discussed in detail. The patient satisfaction level drops manifolds due to longer waits at the primary care. The reasons for a longer duration wait can either be the inability of the staff or less resources available at the hospital. The patient suffers a lot, due to these delays. These delays can also result in life loss and no one can be held responsible for the loss of human life due to delay. The primary care unit like the primary care unit gets crowded. The staff can commit serious medical errors in hurry. (Bosire 2007)

Scope

The researcher has focused on the primary care unit in this research. He will focus on the delay in the primary care unit and how it affects the overall flow of the patient in the primary care unit. This area of study is very important as it opens new doors for the future research. Due to the delays in the primary care unit many people suffer and ...