Chip Title: | Quality Improvement Program – Effective Patient Appointment System at a Sub-speciality Outpatient Clinic |
Participant(s): | Vincent Jessey Ganu Ralph Kwame Akyea |
Organization: | Korle Bu Teaching Hospital |
Year: | 2015 |
Country: | Ghana |
Region: | Western_Africa |
Presentation (PDF) Effective-Patient-Appointment-System-at-a-Sub-speciality-Outpatient-Clinic.pdf
CHIP Plan (PDF)
Details
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
- Established on October 9, 1923, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has grown from an initial 200-bed capacity to 2,000.
- The leading national referral center in Ghana.
- The College of Health Sciences undertake their clinical training and research in the Hospital.
- Has 17 clinical and diagnostic Departments/Units. It has an average daily attendance of 1,500 patients and about 250 patient admissions.
Department of Internal Medicine
- Has nine (9) sub-specialty clinics
- A total of 158 clinical staff, 17 administrative staff and 74 auxiliary staff.
- The department served 38423 clients on outpatient clinic basis in year 2014.
Mission
We are committed to provide quaternary health care facilities and services, training, research, outreach and advocacy for clients within and outside Ghana
External Analysis
Long waiting time of patients/clients at the department’s sub-specialty clinic and its attendant effect of major source of dissatisfaction with care, a barrier to use of facility and loss of work hours which translates to revenue generation for the patients/clients.
The Solution
- Piloting/Setting up of a day and time appointment scheduling system for the sub-specialty Out-Patient Clinic
- Putting together a service blueprint for the management of operations at the sub-specialty clinic
Goals and Objectives
Goal:
To improve patient satisfaction in care provided and confidence in facility utilization
Long term objective:
Reduce by 25-30% the average patients’ internal waiting time and access time by instituting an efficient appointment scheduling system at the sub-specialty outpatient clinic by August 2016
Short term objective 1:
To ascertain current patients’ access time, internal waiting time, perceived causes and preferred intervention at the sub-specialty outpatient clinic by October 2015.
Short term objective 2:
Reduce by 30% the idle time at the sub-specialty clinic by December 2015
Measurement
- Percentage reduction in patient internal waiting and access times within the specified period of piloting
- Percentage reduction in idle time after instituting a service blueprint
- Percentage increase in patient satisfaction rate as well as facility utilization confidence
Lessons Learned
- Need for service blueprint.
- Idle time