Abstract:

Objective To investigate the waiting time in medical visits of Shanghai residents, and to put forward specific policy recommendations. Methods Three thousand and six hundred residents in 6 districts in the center, combination of town and country and suburbs of Shanghai were selected by stratified random sampling method, and self-designed questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the waiting time in medical visits of the outpatients and inpatients. Results The number of valid questionnaires was 3 287, with the effective rate of 91.3%. The average waiting time in registration for outpatients was about 13 min, and that of inpatients was 16 min. The average waiting time for doctors was about 30 min. There were differences in the waiting time in registration among patients with different forms of medical visits (inpatients or outpatients), various occupations and different types of medical insurance. There were differences in the waiting time for doctors among patients with various levels of education, different residences and different types of medical insurance. Conclusion In order to shorten the invalid waiting time and triage the population, diversified forms in registration should be taken, registered reservation platform should be established, and sub-time medical visits should be encouraged.

Key words: waiting time in registration, waiting time for doctors, registered reservation