Background: Afternoon clinics have gained popularity as an
alternative to traditional daytime clinics, providing patients with the
convenience of scheduling appointments and overcoming potential barriers such
as work obligations or transportation issues. The development of Afternoon
clinics aims to reduce the patient's negative experience from overcrowding in
the clinics. Despite their increasing prevalence, there is limited research on
the impact of afternoon clinics on patient satisfaction. Therefore, this study
seeks to contribute to the existing literature by exploring patient perception
and satisfaction with the afternoon clinics at Suhar Hospital.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey targeted outpatients
attending both morning and evening clinics at Suhar Hospital during May-June
2023. A total of 100 patients aged 18 years participated in the study. At the
clinics, patients were provided with a self-reported questionnaire during their
visits. The benefits of afternoon appointments were evaluated using a likert
scale. The results showed an excellent internal consistency of 0.957.
Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data.
Results: Of the 100 patients who submitted the survey, 58%
were females, 73% aged 30 years and above, 53% held a university degree and 56%
were employed. Most participants (67%) visited the hospital during the morning
shift with 44% visiting endocrine clinics and 68% coming for follow-up visits.
Overall, 83% of participants expressed satisfaction with health services
received at current visits. The majority of afternoon appointments (67%) were
first visit while the majority of moring appointments (85%) were follow-up
visits. Patients who attended afternoon shift expressed a preference for future
afternoon appointments while patients who attended morning shift preferred
future morning appointments. Most respondents (91%) supported the hospital to
continue offering afternoon clinics, 95% requested more specialities and 94%
suggested providing afternoon appointments for specialized clinics at
polyclinics level. As an overall preference, 47% of participants preferred
afternoon slot, 15% preferred morning slot while 38% had no specific
preference. Participants generally agreed on the advantages of afternoon shift with
an average agreement level of 4.12 (SD=0.72) on a scale of 5 scores. However,
participants had concerns about potential conflics with study or work schedules
(Mean=3.98, SD=1.03), the flexibility of medical record staff to process their
visit (Mean=4.03, SD=0.88) and the availability of transportation (Mean=4.04,
SD=0.84).
Conclusion: Lunching afternoon clinics at Suhar Hospital was
an initiative to meet patient needs and expectations. Patients reported an
overall satisfaction of afternoon time in terms of reducing waiting times,
offering flexible scheduling options and enhancing logistical arrangements. For
further improvement of patient access to specialized care, afternoon clinics
can be expanded to include more specialities at the level of the hospital as
well as integrating the service into primary health care. This would allow for
greater accessibility and convenience for patients seeking specialized care in
various locations. By this study, the ministry of health (MOH) can further
improve the quality of care provided to its population.
Author(s) Details:
Ali Al Reesi,
Suhar Hospital, Ministry of Health, Oman.
Talib
Al Maqbali,
Suhar
Hospital, Ministry of Health, Oman.
Hatem Al Saadi,
Suhar Hospital, Ministry of Health, Oman.
Tahani Al Balushi,
Suhar Hospital, Ministry of Health, Oman.
Hamed Al Reesi,
General
of Health Services-NBG, Ministry of Health, Oman.
Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/NVMMS-V7/article/view/14219
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