Table 2 Waiting time (in minutes), health worker contact time, and overall time spent by patients at health center in Ntaja, Malawi
From: Examination of patient flow in a rural health center in Malawi
Characteristic | Waiting time mean (SD) | Contact time mean (SD) | Total time mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|
Patient type | |||
Adult | 108.4 (67.6) | 2.3 (6.0) | 110.7 (67.9) |
Children | 133.2 (65.4) | 1.7 (4.3) | 134.9 (65.5) |
Day of the week | |||
Monday | 121.5 (80.7) | 2.2 (5.4) | 123.7 (80.8) |
Tuesday | 109.7 (64.4) | 2.2 (8.0) | 111.9 (64.6) |
Wednesday | 98.4 (41.1) | 1.0 (3.8) | 99.4 (41.1) |
Thursday | 135.9 (50.0) | 2.3 (3.3) | 138.2 (50.3) |
Friday | 136.0 (76.4) | 1.8 (3.1) | 137.8 (76.6) |
Time of day | |||
06:00–08:00 | 156.6 (58.1) | 1.8 (5.3) | 158.4 (58.3) |
08:00–10:00 | 133.4 (61.7) | 2.0 (3.9) | 135.4 (61.8) |
10:00–12:00 | 73.4 (50.8) | 1.5 (2.0) | 74.9 (51.0) |
12:00–14:00 | 65.6 (35.3) | 1.8 (4.3) | 67.4 (35.6) |
14:00–16:00 | 52.7 (26.7) | 2.0 (5.0) | 54.7 (27.5) |
Healthcare cadre | |||
Registry clerk | 68.8 (55.3) | 0.6 (3.0) | 69.4 (55.3) |
Hospital attendant | 34.7 (34.5) | 1.2 (6.0) | 35.9 (34.6) |
Medical assistant | 59.9 (52.7) | 1.1 (3.7) | 61.0 (52.8) |
Pharmacy attendant | 13.5 (20.7) | 0.4 (2.7) | 13.9 (20.7) |
Patient satisfaction | |||
Excellent | 92 (71.0) | 1.9 (2.5) | 93.9 (71.3) |
Very good | 110.2 (66.1) | 1.7 (5.1) | 111.9 (66.2) |
Good | 122.0 (68.7) | 1.8 (4.3) | 123.8 (68.8) |
Poor | 129.0 (63.1) | 1.8 (5.0) | 130.8 (63.3) |
Very poor | 121.0 (75.9) | 2.6 (4.0) | 123.6 (76.2) |
Overall | 120.6 (67.5) | 2.0 (6.4) | 122.6 (67.6) |