Investigation of Waiting Time for Emergency Services in an Educational Hospital in Shiraz

Emergency department has the responsibility to provide healthcare services for the patients day and night all through the year. The present study aimed to investigate the patients’ waiting time in the emergency department of an educational hospital in Shiraz.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in an educational hospital in Shiraz in 2011. For timing the workflow in the hospital emergency department, a 180-patient sample size was selected for the study. Besides, emergency workflow form was used for data collection. The validity of this form was confirmed through several expert meetings. After all, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software and analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test.
The findings showed that the mean interval between patient arrival and the first doctor visit was 4.73±5 minutes. Besides, the mean interval between patient arrival and triage and referral to internal, surgical, and gynecology emergency departments or discharge was 48.13±55 minutes. Also, the mean interval between referral to internal and surgical emergency departments and the first visit by a specialist was 10.45±9 and 39.10±20 minutes, respectively and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.002). Considering the diagnostic procedures, the mean interval between referral and receiving the laboratory test results, radiology results, and ECG was 104.91±33, 24.50±11, and 11.83±4 minutes, respectively.
The results indicated that the waiting time was long in the emergency department of the study hospital. Thus, employing expert residents in each department, expansion of the space and facilities of the emergency department, and modification of service delivery processes are essential.