From the Saint Joseph Hospital of Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health.
Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, CO.
Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg. 2021 Nov 1;27(11):681-685. doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001039.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the mean appointment wait time for a new patient visit at outpatient female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) offices for U.S. women with the common and nonemergent concern of uterine prolapse.
The American Urogynecologic Society "Find a Provider" tool was used to generate a list of FPMRS offices across the United States. Each of the 427 unique listed offices was called. The caller asked for the soonest appointment available for her mother, in whom uterine prolapse was recently diagnosed. Data for each office were collected, including date of the earliest appointment, FPMRS physician demographics, and office demographics. Mean appointment wait time was calculated.
Four hundred twenty-seven FPMRS offices were called in 46 states plus the District of Columbia. The mean appointment wait time was 23.1 business days for an appointment (standard deviation, 19 business days). The appointment wait time was 6 days longer when seeing a female FPMRS physician compared with a male FPMRS physician (mean, 26 business days vs 20 business days, P < 0.02). There was no difference in wait time by day of the week called.
Wait times are a measure of access to care within the health care system. Shorter wait times are associated with increased patient satisfaction. Typically, a woman with uterine prolapse can expect to wait at least 4 weeks for a new patient appointment with an FPMRS board-certified physician listed on the American Urogynecologic Society website. The first available appointment is more often with a male physician. A patient can expect to wait 6 days longer to see a female FPMRS physician. As mean wait times across outpatient specialties continue to increase, FPMRS offices should strive to keep wait times at a minimum to allow women timely access to care.
本研究旨在评估美国因常见非紧急性子宫脱垂问题而就诊的女性患者在妇产科盆底医学与重建外科（FPMRS）门诊预约新患者就诊的平均等待时间。
使用美国妇科泌尿协会（AUGS）“查找医生”工具生成全美 FPMRS 办公室列表。逐一拨打 427 家独特的 FPMRS 办公室电话。来电者为其最近被诊断出患有子宫脱垂的母亲预约最早的就诊时间。收集每个办公室的数据，包括最早预约日期、FPMRS 医生人口统计学特征和办公室人口统计学特征。计算平均预约等待时间。
在 46 个州和哥伦比亚特区共拨打了 427 家 FPMRS 办公室电话。预约等待时间的平均值为 23.1 个工作日（标准差为 19 个工作日）。与女性 FPMRS 医生相比，预约等待时间长 6 天（平均 26 个工作日与 20 个工作日，P < 0.02）。预约时间与致电日的星期几无关。
等待时间是衡量医疗保健系统内获得医疗服务的指标。较短的等待时间与增加患者满意度相关。通常，在 AUGS 网站上列出的 FPMRS 委员会认证医生处，患有子宫脱垂的女性至少需要等待 4 周才能预约新患者。首次预约更常是男性医生。女性患者预约女性 FPMRS 医生的等待时间长 6 天。随着门诊专科的平均等待时间持续增加，FPMRS 办公室应努力将等待时间降至最低，以使女性能够及时获得治疗。
