Assessing the impact of a waiting time survey on reducing waiting times in urban primary care clinics in Cape Town, South Africa
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Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PAGEPress
Abstract
A waiting time survey (WTS) conducted
in several clinics in Cape Town, South
Africa provided recommendations on how
to shorten waiting times (WT). A follow-up
study was conducted to assess whether WT
had reduced. Using a stratified sample of 22
clinics, a before and after study design
assessed changes in WT. The WT was measured
and perceptions of clinic managers
were elicited, about the previous survey’s
recommendations. The overall median WT
decreased by 21 minutes (95%CI: 11.77-
30.23), a 28% decrease from the previous
WTS. Although no specific factor was associated
with decreases in WT, implementation
of recommendations to reduce WT was
2.67 times (95%CI: 1.33-5.40) more likely
amongst those who received written recommendations
and 2.3 times (95%CI: 1.28-
4.19) more likely amongst managers with 5
or more years’ experience. The decrease in
WT found demonstrates the utility of a
WTS in busy urban clinics in developing
country contexts. Experienced facility managers
who timeously receive customised
reports of their clinic’s performance are
more likely to implement changes that positively
impact on reducing WT.
Description
Keywords
Waiting time survey, Waiting time reduction, Primary health care clinics, South Africa
Citation
Daniels, J. et al. (2017). Assessing the impact of a waiting time survey on reducing waiting times in urban primary care clinics in Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 8: 639