Investigating the Quality of Waiting Time and Visits of Patients Referring to Comprehensive Health Centers using the Structure, Process, and Outcome Standards: A Case Study of Northeast Iran, 2022

Introduction:Patients’ satisfaction levels are influenced by how well their expectations are met and the success of their treatment. Both patient satisfaction and successful treatment are critical components of healthcare quality. This study aimed to investigate the quality of waiting times and consultations for patients visiting comprehensive health centers in Northeast Iran, utilizing structure, process, and outcome standards.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in two phases. The quantitative phase involved 429 patients visiting comprehensive health centers in Mashhad from May to August 2022. Data was collected through a three-part questionnaire assessing structure, process, and outcome standards and analyzed using SPSS version 24. In the qualitative phase, using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews, factors influencing waiting times and consultation durations based on physicians’ perspectives were examined. The qualitative data analysis was performed using MAXQDA version 20.Results:The quality of visits at comprehensive health centers in Mashhad was favorable, with structure scores at 15.09 (SD = 1.71) and process scores at 5.9 (SD = 0.95), indicating medium quality. Physicians believe longer visits and reduced waiting times enhance prescriptions, patient satisfaction, and trust while decreasing errors and costs.Conclusion: The comparative analysis of the quality of waiting time and visit length using structural, process, and outcome standards in comprehensive health centers in Mashhad showed a desirable level of quality, which shows that the standards have been correctly established. However, due to the shorter visit length, it is recommended that standards be implemented to increase patient safety in terms of diagnosis accuracy.