Factors responsible for prolong waiting time of patients seeking eye care at a tertiary health facility
Journal Title: Asian Pacific Journal of Health Sciences - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Prolong waiting time can cause poor utilization of health facility because it causes discontent among patients. The purpose of this study was to determine waiting time of patients attending the eye department of the tertiary centre and to assess the factors responsible for prolong waiting time and give recommendations on how to improve the uptake of the health facility by reducing waiting time of patients. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, observational study of all patients both old and new attending ophthalmology department of the tertiary centre between January and February 2017was done. Results: A total of 171 respondents were seen, out of which 72(42.1%) were new patients and the others were follow up patients. There were 71 males and 100 females with male: female ratio of 1:1.4. The respondents waiting time from registration to doctors consulting room ranged from11minutes to 5.24hours with mean time of 2.67 hours ±1.04 hours. Almost two-third of the patients111 (64.9%) waited for over an hour before being seen by eye doctors. The total time spent with the eye doctors ranged from 3mins to 3.50hours with mean time of 1.09hours ±1.02hours. Socio-demographic characteristics of the patients did not significantly influence the time spent in the eye facility. Majority of follow up patients( 84.7%)spent lesser time with the eye specialist compared with new patients(15.3%). Two third of the patients 66% that spent 0-1hour with eye specialists were very satisfied compared with7% of patients that were dissatisfied. Conclusion: Despite the prolonged waiting and time spent with eye specialist caused by plethora of factors, the level of patient satisfaction was still high .To reduce this prolonged waiting time and, government through the hospital management needs to provide a reliable alternative power supply to the department, employ more qualified staff and improve the existing workers both the eye specialists and other allied health professionals through capacity building. This will ultimately improve the uptake of this facility.
Authors and Affiliations
O. J Omotoye
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP525852
- DOI 10.21276/apjhs.2017.4.2.35
- Views 165
- Downloads 0
Preferences and Perceptions about Malaria Prevention methods in Kimasala – Solwezi-A cross sectional Study
Malaria still contributes greatly to morbidity and mortality in Africa. Sub - Saharan Africa accounts for about 90% of all Malaria cases worldwide.In Zambia, Malaria contributes significantly to maternal deaths, maternal...
Spectrum of mycotic corneal ulcers in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India
Background: Fungal keratitis is a major ophthalmic problem. Many microorganisms can cause infectious corneal ulcer. Among them are bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and chlamydia. Mycotic keratitis is an infection caus...
Herniation of antral membrane through oro-antral fistula with polyp formation-a case report
Oroantral communication fistula is a common complication of dental extraction of posterior maxillary teeth. The occurrence of herniation of the antral membrane with large polyps extending through fistula into the oral ca...
Prevalence and correlates of cognitive adverse outcomes among epileptic patients - Evidence from a cross-sectional study
Background: Epilepsy accounts for 1% of the global burden of disease and affects over 60 million people worldwide imposing a large economic burden on global health-care systems. The objective of the present study was to...
Prevalence and correlates for stress among caregivers for chronically ill patients at Ndola teaching hospital
Background: Among the factors that contribute to stress is poor social support systems and age. Stress causes the lowering of immunity and predisposes individuals to infections. This accounts for the general malaise the...