Worthington D, Brahimi M
Lancaster University, UK.
Int J Health Care Qual Assur. 1993;6(1):18-23. doi: 10.1108/09526869310025644.
The Patient's Charter has recently set the standard for hospital out-patient clinics that patients will "be given a specific appointment time and will be seen within 30 minutes of that time". Describes the successful application of an operational research/operations management approach to out-patient appointment systems at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. Draws the conclusion from a comparison of this and other studies that many hospitals face very similar problems with similar solutions; but that localized studies may often be required to achieve these solutions.
