ArticleBMC health services research2019
The psychology of the wait time experience - what clinics can do to manage the waiting experience for patients: a longitudinal, qualitative study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- An interdisciplinary mixed-methods systematic review of multidimensional factors shaping the outpatient waiting experience.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Conjoint analyses of patients' preferences for primary care: a systematic review.BMC primary care · 2022Pooled it
- Patient satisfaction with the Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme two decades since establishment: A systematic review and recommendations for improvement.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Improving Outpatient Cancer Care in Gynecologic Oncology: Understanding Patient Preferences During Their Waiting Room Experience.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
- Operational inefficiency and perceived quality in a paediatric day hospital: a lean-informed study of patient flow, caregiver and staff perceptions.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2026Observational
- Dataset of perceptions of waiting in a virtual reality (VR) doctor's office receptionist queue with and without notifications on the reason for a delay.Data in brief · 2026Article
- Addressing the Psychological Needs of Adolescents During the Wait Time for Mental Health Treatment: Service Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Experiences of youth and caregivers waiting for mental health services in the UK: a qualitative study to inform policy and practice.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Young People's Satisfaction With and Perceived Impact of a Multichannel Mental Health Helpline During and After COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Analysis of Cross-Sectional Survey Data.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Proximity to Healthcare Services Among Individuals With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.AJPM focus · 2026Article
- Effects of Background Music and Multimedia Exposure on Patient-Reported Anxiety in Ophthalmology Waiting Rooms: A Quasi-Experimental Study.Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- "It's a Process-But It Shouldn't Take This Long": The Psychological Burden of Waiting for Rental Assistance.Housing policy debate · 2026Article
- Non-Physician Contributors to Patient Satisfaction in a Japanese Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Secondary Analysis of Patient Satisfaction Surveys.Journal of general and family medicine · 2025Article
- Wait times in pediatric ophthalmology clinics: Insights from a tertiary university hospital.European journal of ophthalmology · 2025Observational
- Redesigning Telemedicine for Traditional Chinese Medicine: Service Design Approach to Digital Transformation.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Sentiment Analysis of Transsphenoidal Surgery in the Cushing's Subreddit.Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base · 2025Article
- The ActiveText@T2D text messaging behavioural intervention to increase physical activity in adults with type 2 diabetes: A prospective single-arm feasibility trial.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Impact of expected waiting time on pediatric outpatient satisfaction: a behavioral experiment study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Patient satisfaction with ambulatory care services delivery and respect for patient rights: findings from 2022 national survey in Rwanda.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- "They Just Don't Want to Feel Forgotten": A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments.Journal of patient experience · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWait time, defined as time spent in the waiting and exam rooms waiting to see a provider, is a key quality metric in a number of national patient experience surveys. However, the literature on wait time does not show a consistent correlation between long waits and worse overall patient care experiences. Herein, we examine contextual factors that can shape the manner in which patients may respond to different wait times. We also identify actions providers and clinics can take to promote positive wait experiences and mitigate negative ones.
methodsWe conducted over 130 h of semi-structured interviews with patients new to two HIV primary care clinics in Houston, Texas. We interviewed patients before the first provider visit, again within two weeks of the first visit, and again at 6-12 months. We analyzed the interviews using directed and conventional content analysis.
resultsOur study showed that patients' "willingness to wait" is the product of the actual wait time, individual factors, such as the perceived value of the visit and cost of a long wait, and clinic and provider factors. Analyses revealed key steps providers and clinics can take to improve the wait time experience. These include: 1) proactively informing patients of delays, 2) explicitly apologizing for delays, and 3) providing opportunities for diversion. Patients noted the importance of these steps in curtailing frustrations that may result from a long wait.
conclusionsOur study highlights key steps cited by patients as having the potential to improve the wait time experience. These steps are practical and of particular interest to clinics, where waits are oftentimes inevitable.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.