Improving Patient Experience: A Quality Improvement Study on Reducing Waiting Time for New Patient Registration at a State Cancer Institute in Western India

with a predefined new case registration form designed to capture essential details needed to create a unique case file for the patient.The information required includes personal details such as name, age, gender, address, contact information, and medical history.Patients are also required to provide an ABHA card, patient ID proof, and any relevant cancer-related medical documents.Once the form is filled out, the patient proceeds to the new case registration window, where a staff member verifies the information provided.This verification process ensures IntroductIonThe Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI) is a leading cancer care institution in Gujarat, India, serving as the state cancer institute.The institute handles a high volume of patients daily, with about 100 new patient registrations and 1,000-1,200 follow-up registrations.The new patient registration process at GCRI is comprehensive, involving the collection of detailed personal information, medical history, and relevant documentation, such as the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) card and patient ID proof.While essential for providing personalized and effective cancer care, this process often results in extended waiting times, leading to patient dissatisfaction and operational inefficiencies.Prolonged waiting times can have significant negative impacts on patient experience, especially in a setting like GCRI, where patients are often dealing with the anxiety of a cancer diagnosis.Delays in registration not only contribute to patient frustration but also create bottlenecks in the workflow, straining resources and reducing the capacity to serve more patients effectively.This study was initiated to address these challenges by identifying the specific causes of delays in the registration process, implementing targeted interventions, and measuring their impact on reducing waiting times and improving patient experience.