title: Effects of educational intervention in waiting room on patient satisfaction.
abstract: This study examines the effects of a low-cost educational intervention designed to occupy the waiting time in the clinic on patient satisfaction with the clinic visit. Patients waiting for appointments were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) educational intervention in the clinic waiting room (n = 160) and (2) usual clinic care (no structured education during the waiting time in the clinic; n = 160). There were significant negative correlations between satisfaction with the visit overall and the time patients waited in the clinic waiting room (r = -.17, p = .003) and their total wait time (r = -.16, p = .005). Patients who were taught while they waited in the clinics were more satisfied with their education than the control group (t = 4.26, df = 318, p < 0.001).
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich., USA. moermann@msn.com
authors.forename: Marilyn H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Oermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D010045:Outpatients / Q000193:education*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017748:Time Management; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D014481:United States; D014743:Videotape Recording