Zhang Hui, Tian Junhua, Shi Yu, Qian Yuping, Gao Xuan, Zhai Xiaowen
College of Shanghai Lausanne Hospitality Management, Shanghai Business School, Shanghai, 200235, China.
Nursing Department, National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2025 May 14;25(1):701. doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12714-9.
Outpatient departments of tertiary children's hospitals in China are often overcrowded. This study used a behavioral experiment to investigate the relationship between expectations and satisfaction levels to improve visitor satisfaction.
The experiment consisted of control and experimental groups. Initially, the initial expected waiting times (EWT) for the subjects in both groups were obtained. Unlike the control group, subjects in the experimental group received reminders regarding waiting times and subsequently adjusted their EWT accordingly. This study mainly used non-parametric tests to analyze the differences in satisfaction levels between the two groups of subjects. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the hospital ethics committee.
Significant differences in satisfaction levels were observed between the control and experimental groups when AWT exceeded EWT. However, no significant disparity in satisfaction levels was observed between the two groups when the AWT was equal to or shorter than the EWT. Within the experimental group, a significant difference in satisfaction was noted during peak hours between parents effectively regulated by the EWT and those not effectively regulated. Conversely, during off-peak hours, there was no significant difference in satisfaction between those effectively regulated by the EWT and those not effectively regulated.
Providing advance notice of long waiting times can extend the EWT of the subjects and significantly enhance their satisfaction. Healthcare institutions can adjust the EWT of the visitors by informing them in advance about potential waiting times according to the temporal patterns of outpatient visitation numbers during peak hours.
中国三级儿童医院的门诊部常常人满为患。本研究采用行为实验来探究期望与满意度水平之间的关系，以提高就诊者的满意度。
该实验由对照组和实验组组成。首先，获取两组受试者的初始预期等待时间（EWT）。与对照组不同，实验组的受试者会收到关于等待时间的提醒，并随后相应地调整其EWT。本研究主要使用非参数检验来分析两组受试者满意度水平的差异。本研究已获得医院伦理委员会的伦理批准。
当实际等待时间（AWT）超过EWT时，对照组和实验组的满意度水平存在显著差异。然而，当AWT等于或短于EWT时，两组之间的满意度水平未观察到显著差异。在实验组中，在高峰时段，EWT有效调节的父母与未有效调节的父母之间的满意度存在显著差异。相反，在非高峰时段，EWT有效调节的父母与未有效调节的父母之间的满意度没有显著差异。
提前告知长时间等待可以延长受试者的EWT，并显著提高他们的满意度。医疗机构可以根据高峰时段门诊就诊人数的时间模式，提前告知就诊者潜在的等待时间，从而调整他们的EWT。
