Challenges of Appointment Fixing in Private Physician Offices from the Viewpoint of Physicians and Secretaries

Waiting time indicates the feasibility of access to medical services and can be measured as a performance indicator. Long waiting times prohibit the provision of good services, waste patients’ time, and jeopardise patient satisfaction. Therefore, patient's satisfaction from waiting time plays a significant role in quality assurance and management.

In this qualitative study, 12 secretaries and 12 physicians were selected purposefully. Data was collected through focus groups and analyzed by qualitative methods.

Cultural weakness, lack of integrated appointment systems, public unawareness, and difficulties in access were among the problems listed for private practice in Kerman, Iran. Physicians’ delay and people’s wrong beliefs were other barrieres. The best method of appointment fixing in Kerman seems to be a combination of both the Internet and the interactive voice response.

Developing an appropriate appointment fixing method, informing patients, and obliging all offices to use this method can alleviate the problems related to appointment times in Kerman.