Mean waiting time in obstetric triage

In obstetric triage, women who referred with obstetric complaints and those with acute or emergency situation are first evaluated. Waiting time is one of the important factors that should be considered in the management and organization of the healthcare section. So far, the exact waiting time for emergency care and obstetric triage in Iran has not been estimated. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to determine mean waiting time for obstetrics triage in Tehran.

This cross-sectional study was performed in 2018 on 9238 patients referred to obstetric triage of educational and medical hospitals in Tehran. Triage was actively performed using 5-level obstetric triage form (level 1: require immediate intervention, level 2: high risk requiring, levels 3: aassessment at the earliest opportunity, level 4: no acute problem, level 5: requires only one visit or consultation), In this research, a checklist containing personal, obstetrics, and also recording the time of triage and obstetric triage form was used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) and descriptive statistical tests and ANOVA. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Mean total waiting time in morning, evening and night shifts were 22.35 ± 3.60, 18.12 ± 3.67 and 19.15 ± 3.67 min, respectively. ANOVA test showed no significant difference between mean waiting time based on working shifts per day (p = 0.122) and month (p = 0.473). Mean waiting time in level 2,3,4 and 5 of obstetric triage were 2.73±0.40, 5.3±1.13, 5.76±1.69, 5.96±1.20 min, respectively.

Mean total waiting time for obstetric triage clients is somehow higher than the recommended rate. It is recommended to modify the process of service delivery to the clients of obstetrics triage in order to reduce the waiting time and achieve to the standard.