Optimum Operating Hours for Ambulatory Clinics: A Pilot Study

摘要

Most medical treatment facilities follow a set pattern for the operation of the Ambulatory Clinics which closely conforms to the duty hours of the normal operation of the post. However, are patients aware of the operating hours of selected ambulatory care clinics and are these operating hours acceptable to the patients. Patients were surveyed about the operating hours of the clinic from which they sought health care. Staff members of selected clinics were surveyed about the hours of operation of the clinics, the convenience of the hours, to staff and patients, and about patient needs. The study objectives were: (1) to determine the optimal hours for certain ambulatory care clinics to be operational based on consumer and staff responses, (2) to determine the feasibility of operating the selected ambulatory care clinics during optimum hours, and (3) to determine the acceptability of changes in forms of operations to users and providers of health care. Staff members believed the clinic operating hours were reflective of patient needs and that the normal operating hours were both convenient and preferable for the patients. Staff members perceived the clinic operating hours were reflective of staff needs. Patients reported the normal operating hours of the clinic as both convenient and preferable to them. Staff reported being generally unwilling to change the operating hours of the clinic.