Improving Outpatient Waiting Time Using Simulation Approach

The waiting time for patients in outpatient departments of university hospitals is a problem throughout the world. Outpatient departments face increasing pressure to improve the quality of their services through effective appointment scheduling in an effort to reduce waiting time. We analyzed the appointment scheduling system in the Obstetrics Gynecology Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in order to construct a simulation-based decision support (SDS) system for the evaluation and optimization of scheduling rules and waiting time. The SDS system analyzed three various appointment scenarios and examined in comparison with the current situation to determine prioritization rules so that a service guarantee to a maximum number of patients. The system was able to identify a number of critical factors that influenced patient waiting time and the formation of long lines in the clinic. Sensitivity analysis indicated that patient waiting time could be reduced by 26.3% without requiring extra resources. Modifying the scheduling scenarios by adjusting the distribution of patients based on their type (new, follow up, ..) for outpatient appointments can significantly improve patient waiting time in the clinic.