2025/07/12 by Diamond, Tamunokuro, Ogaji, Daprim
#Timeliness #health quality #prompt services
paper · doi:10.60787/phmj.v19i2.206
Background: The timeliness domain of quality plays prominent role in assessing the quality of emergency medical care and trauma care. Prompt services reduce morbidity, mortality, man-hour and resource wastages in the health system. Delays in accessing care are common in health facilities in most low- and middle-income countries. Aim: To determine the waiting time before orthopaedic services were received at the various units by ambulatory adults at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methods: This time-flow study for receipt of orthopaedic services by ambulatory patients in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital used a longitudinal study design. Responses from consecutively sampled patients were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 for windows. Results: A total of 442 patients gave consent and were recruited into the study but only 430 patients gave complete responses to the questionnaires giving a response rate of 97.3%. The mean age was 38.5 +/-14.8 years. The mean time from when a patient was referred to see the orthopaedic doctor to the commencement of orthopaedic consultation was 2.6 days; while that for receiving radiologic services after seeing the orthopaedic doctor was 1. 9 days. At the doctor’s station, 50 % of patient waited for 33.34minutes before orthopaedic service was rendered. Visit status, gender and educational qualification showed strong association with waiting times at the records, nursing station and doctor’s station respectively. Conclusion: Waiting time is an important indicator to the quality of care received and reducing it is key to improving care quality.