Factors Affecting Patient Waiting Times at the Outpatient Pharmacy Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Park, Hayoung; Han, Ok-Youn; La, Hyun-Oh

Journal of Korean Society Quality Assurance Health Care 1994;1(2): 60.
Published online December 30, 1994.

3차진료기관 외래약국 투약대기시간에 영향을 주는 요인

박하영¹, 한옥연², 나현오²

¹가톨릭대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실
²가톨릭대학교 의과대학부속 강남성모병원

Factors Affecting Patient Waiting Times at the Outpatient Pharmacy Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Hayoung Park¹, Ok-Youn Han², Hyun-Oh La²

¹Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Catholic University
²Department of Pharmacy, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital

Abstract

Background
The number of outpatients visiting large university teaching hospitals has increased drastically with the introduction of a nationwide health care insurance in 1989 and the improvement of the socio-economic status of the population. This resulted in long waiting times for services, particularly prescribed drugs, which have been patients' chief complaints. Hospitals have tried to solve the problem with limited success because their approach lacked comprehensive research. The objective of this study is to investigate associations between waiting times and variables defining a total work system.
Methods
Data for the outpatient pharmacy department in a tertiary care university teaching hospital located in Seoul was analyzed to achieve the study objective. Associations of pharmacy system variables -- work load, work force, pharmacist work schedule, machine problems, and inventory control -- with mean and 99th percentile of waiting times were examined by the hierarchical stepwise regression method. Day was a unit of the analyses.
Results
The regression models explained 65.8% of variance in the mean waiting time and 61.34% in the 99th percentile of waiting times. The break-down of the printer for drug envelops, Automatic Tablet Counters (ATCs), and main computer system lasted longer than 30 minutes increased the mean for 7.7 minutes, 4.5 minutes, and 7.0 minutes, respectively, and the 99th percentile for 14.8 minutes, 9.0 minutes, and 15.7 minutes, respectively. Concerning the work force, study results showed that there were significant differences in the productivity of pharmacists with work experience more than three years, one to three years, and less than one year, and showed that peak time aid work by pharmacists at job assignments other than the outpatient pharmacy, part-time pharmacists, and the installation of ATCs were effective in reducing waiting times, Finally, study findings indicated that the operational policy of work assignment and rotation schedule, supply and inventory of drugs at work tables, and readiness for undisrupted work during the work hours could have a significant effect on waiting times.
Conclusion
The study results indicated that efforts to reduce waiting times for prescribed drugs should be geared toward every components of the pharmacy work system ranging from work schedule of pharmacists and supply of dugs at work tables. These findings should provide hospital managers with right directions in battling the problem.

Key words waiting times for prescribed drugs;pharmacy work system;patient satisfaction;