Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Informatics
Date Submitted: May 5, 2024
Date Accepted: Jul 17, 2025
A Patient-centered Outpatient Process Optimization System Based on Intelligent Guidance in a Large Tertiary Hospital in China：Implementation Report
ABSTRACT
Background:
In China's large tertiary hospitals, time spent in outpatient service can often be characterized as “three long and one short” (long registration time, long waiting time, long time for medicine collection, and short time for medical treatment), which results in patients having a poor medical experience.
Objective:
We aimed to implement a “patient-centered” principle in our hospital, through the design and application of an intelligent indoor guidance system that would operate throughout the whole process of outpatient services, to shorten patient waiting times and improve patient satisfaction.
Methods:
We used Internet and big data application technology to design an intelligent indoor navigation system to improve the delivery of medical services and reduce patient waiting times. To compare the effects before and after the launch of the system, we retrospectively analyzed the waiting, consultation, and examination times of outpatients in our hospital from 2019 to 2022. Patient satisfaction was surveyed in 2021 and 2022.
Results:
The results showed that the waiting time was shortened from 41.14 minutes in 2019 to 38.30 minutes in 2021, the waiting time for examination decreased from 47.83 minutes in 2019 to 44.48 minutes in 2022, and the consultation time was extended from 2.85 minutes in 2019 to 3.43 minutes in 2022. Overall patient satisfaction improved, from 89.99% in 2021 to 92.72% in 2022.
Conclusions:
Through continuous transformation and upgrading of the outpatient service process centered on patients, the efficiency of outpatient services and patient satisfaction improved. Therefore, the patient-centered principle method and process integration concepts for the system can be further promoted and implemented.
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