Standardized management of an outpatient service schedule in a large general hospital

Abstract Background: An outpatient schedule should have attending physician names, number of consultations, consultation agenda, and information based on which patients book their appointments. Regulating physician discipline while ensuring improved service quality and high-quality physician–patient relationships have become critical issues in outpatient management. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of an outpatient service schedule on patient satisfaction.Methods: This study is based on a mixed-methods approach and investigates the standardization of outpatient schedules’ formulation and operation processes. Following the implementation of standardized formulation, operation, and evaluation of outpatient service schedule, we analyzed the outpatient service data as well as third-party patient satisfaction between 2016 and 2018 about 2000 outpatients, and introduced interventions on the corresponding influencing factors. Results: The outpatient service-suspension rate fell from 2.5% in 2017 to 1.9% in 2018, while the service-substitution rate fell from 2.9% in 2017 to 2.5% in 2018. The service-suspension rates also decreased for attending physicians and professors; rates for senior doctors were higher than for junior doctors. Furthermore, the suspension and substitution rates were at their lowest in the first quarter and at their highest in the third quarter of each year. Patient loyalty, overall satisfaction, and registration convenience improved annually.Conclusions: The standardized management of outpatient-service schedules is a solemn commitment of public hospitals to honest and lawful practices; however, it also serves as a solid base for the consolidation and development of the medical-service reservation system.