Queuing Theory and Customer Satisfaction: A Review of Terminology, Trends, and Applications to Pharmacy Practice

2001 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Anthony Nosek ◽  
James P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Waiting Time ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Queuing Theory ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Patient Counseling ◽  
Staffing Levels ◽  
Patient Waiting Time

Queuing theory is the formal study of waiting in line and is an entire discipline in operations management. This article will give the reader a general background into queuing theory, its associated terminology, and it relationship to customer satisfaction. Queuing theory has been used in the past to assess such things as staff schedules, working environment, productivity, customer waiting time, and customer waiting environment. In pharmacy, queuing theory can be used to assess a multitude of factors such as prescription fill-time, patient waiting time, patient counseling-time, and staffing levels. The application of queuing theory may be of particular benefit in pharmacies with high-volume outpatient workloads and/or those that provide multiple points of service. By better understanding queuing theory, service managers can make decisions that increase the satisfaction of all relevant groups – customers, employees, and management.

Reducing pharmacy patient waiting time

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 834-844
Author(s):  
Shoaib Alam ◽  
Muhammad Osama ◽  
Faheem Iqbal ◽  
Irfan Sawar
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Waiting Time ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patient Waiting Time ◽  
Patient Waiting

Purpose Pharmacy services start right from prescribing medicines and continue as the medication’s effect is monitored. Hospital and community pharmacy staff promote rational prescribing and medicine use. Consequentially, pharmacy is a complex and busy field. Often there are peak workload hours when patients must wait, which is associated with patient dissatisfaction that may negatively affect patient experience and the organisation’s reputation. The purpose of this paper is to enlist techniques, methods and technological advancements that have been successfully employed to reduce patient waiting time. Design/methodology/approach A database search was conducted in 2017 to locate articles addressing methods and technologies that reduce pharmacy waiting time. The literature revealed various techniques and technologies like queuing theory, tele-pharmacy, evidence-based pharmacy design, automated pharmacy systems (robotics), system modelling and simulation and the Six Sigma method for identifying potential problems associated with increased wait time. Findings The authors conclude that various techniques and methods, including automated queuing technology, tele-pharmacy, automated pharmacy devices/machines for quick and accurate filling and dispensing, computer simulation modelling, evidence-based pharmacy infrastructure for smooth workflow and Six Sigma can maintain customer satisfaction, reduce waiting time, attract new customers, decrease workload and improve the organisation’s reputation. Practical implications The authors conclude that various techniques and methods, including automated queuing technology, tele-pharmacy, automated pharmacy devices/machines for quick and accurate filling and dispensing, computer simulation modelling, evidence-based pharmacy infrastructure for smooth workflow and Six Sigma methodology can maintain customer satisfaction, reduce waiting time, attract new customers, decrease workload and improve the organisation’s reputation. Originality/value The authors carried out a literature search and identified the techniques that have been successfully implemented to reduce pharmacy patient waiting time and methods that can identify potential process behind medication dispensation delays.

Study of Patient Waiting Time in the Emergence Department: An Example of a Medical Center in New Taipei County, Taiwan

2014 ◽  
Vol 519-520 ◽  
pp. 1581-1584
Author(s):  
Chen Shie Ho ◽  
Min Li Yeh ◽  
Yu Sheng Liao
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Waiting Time ◽  
Queuing Theory ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Patient Waiting Time ◽  
Patient Waiting

Patients who receive care in an emergency department (ED) are usually unattended while waiting in queues. This study attempted to determine whether the application of queuing theory analysis might shorten the waiting times of patients admitted to emergency wards. After the literature survey phase, the flow model to evaluate the patient waiting time in the emergence department corresponding to the target hospital is presented, then the waiting time under some circumstance are simulated. By allocating the human and space resource dynamically, the waiting time can be reduced then patient satisfaction is improved.

Evaluating Patient Flow Based on Waiting Time and Travel Distance for Outpatient Clinic Visits

2011 ◽  
pp. 376-401
Author(s):  
S.Reza Sajjadi ◽  
Jing Shi ◽  
Kambiz Farahmand
Keyword(s):  
Waiting Time ◽  
Queuing Theory ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Network Systems ◽  
Queuing Models ◽  
Patient Travel ◽  
Single Station ◽  
Patient Waiting Time

Patient flow greatly affects the quality of service delivered to the patients. Among various performance measures identified for patient flow, this chapter focuses on the analytical modeling of two key measures, namely, patient waiting time and travel distance. Waiting time is analyzed by a promising yet simple analytical tool – queuing theory. Three queuing models, including single station, multiple serial stations, and network systems are presented. Moreover, patient travel distance is investigated by an analytical model to evaluate the patient flow. For both measures, the applicability of models is illustrated with numerical examples.

scholarly journals The Impact of Longer Consultation Time: A Simulation-Based Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (05) ◽  
pp. 857-864
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman M. Jabour
Keyword(s):  
Waiting Time ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Discrete Events ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Patient Waiting Time ◽  
Free Environment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Consultation Time ◽  
Patient Waiting

Abstract Background Maintaining a sufficient consultation length in primary health care (PHC) is a fundamental part of providing quality care that results in patient safety and satisfaction. Many facilities have limited capacity and increasing consultation time could result in a longer waiting time for patients and longer working hours for physicians. The use of simulation can be practical for quantifying the impact of workflow scenarios and guide the decision-making. Objective To examine the impact of increasing consultation time on patient waiting time and physician working hours. Methods Using discrete events simulation, we modeled the existing workflow and tested five different scenarios with a longer consultation time. In each scenario, we examined the impact of consultation time on patient waiting time, physician hours, and rate of staff utilization. Results At baseline scenarios (5-minute consultation time), the average waiting time was 9.87 minutes and gradually increased to 89.93 minutes in scenario five (10 minutes consultation time). However, the impact of increasing consultation time on patients waiting time did not impact all patients evenly where patients who arrive later tend to wait longer. Scenarios with a longer consultation time were more sensitive to the patients' order of arrival than those with a shorter consultation time. Conclusion By using simulation, we assessed the impact of increasing the consultation time in a risk-free environment. The increase in patients waiting time was somewhat gradual, and patients who arrive later in the day are more likely to wait longer than those who arrive earlier in the day. Increasing consultation time was more sensitive to the patients' order of arrival than those with a shorter consultation time.

Announcing Waiting Time in Emergency Departments

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Martin Lariviere ◽  
Sarang Deo
Keyword(s):  
Waiting Time ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Large Network ◽  
Regional Networks ◽  
Marketing Campaign ◽  
National Healthcare ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
Patient Waiting Time ◽  
Patient Waiting

First National Healthcare (FNH) runs a large network of hospitals and has worked to systematically reduce waiting times in its emergency departments. One of FNH's regional networks has run a successful marketing campaign promoting its low ED waiting times that other regions want to emulate. The corporate quality manager must now determine whether to allow these campaigns to be rolled out and, if so, which waiting time estimates to use. Are the numbers currently being reported accurate? Is there a more accurate way of estimating patient waiting time that can be easily understood by consumers?

Prevalence and Risk Factors of work Related Musculo Skeletal Disorders (wrmsd’s) Among Doctors - A Cross Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Biju Azariah ◽  
◽  
Geethu Babu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) have not only shown to impact the physical and pschycological comfort of the employee but also deteriorate the prospects of any production or service sector. The prevalence of WRMSDs, though studied extensively in various sectors, has been understudied in health sector, especially among doctors. This study which evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of these disorders among fifty cancer treating Radiation Oncologist at a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in India had exposed out an alarming 68% prevalence of these disorders in the study population, with neck pain being the commonest site of these Muscloskeletal Disorders (MSDs). Several factors which could impact the development of MSDs were analysed. This higher incidence of MSDs is presumed to be because of extreme physical and mental stress of working in a high volume cancer care centre, persistent unhealthy postures during work, inadequate micropauses between works and uncomfortable working atmosphere. Adequate physician patient ratio, restricting the patient load, providing good physician friendly working environment and adequate mandatory breaks might significantly reduce the incidence of these disorders and can prevent the sagging of health care delivery.

scholarly journals Impact of value added services on patient waiting time at the ambulatory pharmacy Queen Elizabeth Hospital

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 846-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin C. Loh ◽  
Kheng F. Wah ◽  
Carolyn A. Teo ◽  
Nadia M. Khairuddin ◽  
Fairenna B. Fairuz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waiting Time ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Queen Elizabeth Hospital ◽  
Patient Waiting Time ◽  
Patient Waiting
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