title: A web-based appointment system to reduce waiting for outpatients: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Long waiting times for registration to see a doctor is problematic in China, especially in tertiary hospitals. To address this issue, a web-based appointment system was developed for the Xijing hospital. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the web-based appointment system in the registration service for outpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the web-based appointment system in Xijing hospital from January to December 2010 were collected using a stratified random sampling method, from which participants were randomly selected for a telephone interview asking for detailed information on using the system. Patients who registered through registration windows were randomly selected as a comparison group, and completed a questionnaire on-site.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5641 patients using the online booking service were available for data analysis. Of them, 500 were randomly selected, and 369 (73.8%) completed a telephone interview. Of the 500 patients using the usual queuing method who were randomly selected for inclusion in the study, responses were obtained from 463, a response rate of 92.6%. Between the two registration methods, there were significant differences in age, degree of satisfaction, and total waiting time (P<0.001). However, gender, urban residence, and valid waiting time showed no significant differences (P>0.05). Being ignorant of online registration, not trusting the internet, and a lack of ability to use a computer were three main reasons given for not using the web-based appointment system. The overall proportion of non-attendance was 14.4% for those using the web-based appointment system, and the non-attendance rate was significantly different among different hospital departments, day of the week, and time of the day (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to the usual queuing method, the web-based appointment system could significantly increase patient's satisfaction with registration and reduce total waiting time effectively. However, further improvements are needed for broad use of the system.
authors: Department of Health Statistics, School of Preventive Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, and Xijing Hospital, Xi'an 710032, China.
authors: Wenjun
authors: W
authors: Cao
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Wan
authors: Haibo
authors: H
authors: Tu
authors: Fujun
authors: F
authors: Shang
authors: Danhong
authors: D
authors: Liu
authors: Zhijun
authors: Z
authors: Tan
authors: Caihong
authors: C
authors: Sun
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Ye
authors: Yongyong
authors: Y
authors: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014850:Waiting Lists