Relationship between outpatient's examination time and perceived service quality in teaching hospitals of Ahvaz: 2015

For an effective visit, the correct and appropriate use of time is necessary. The aim of this study was to determine relationship between outpatients’ visit length and perceived ýservice quality in teaching hospitals of Ahvaz.
This cross-sectional study was conducted participating 550 outpatients referring to teaching hospitals of Ahvaz in 2015. Each outpatients’ visit length was measured and also their perceived service quality was assessed using a SERVQUAL questionnaire (Chronbach’s Alpha=0.84). The data were analyzed using correlation and regression modeling.
The mean of visit length and the perceived service quality were 4.88±0.12 minutes and 2.96±0.38, respectively. The longest visit time (Mean= 8.61 minutes) was related to Psychiatry. Pearson correlation test between outpatients’ visit length and dimensions of "communication and interaction" (p There was a relationship between outpatients’ visit length and perceived service quality. Observing the health sector evolution standards about visit length could be the way to improve perceived service quality.