Analyzing Publicly Reported Waiting Times Data in Portuguese Health Service

This paper presents the development and implementation of a Business Intelligence (BI) system designed to analyze publicly reported waiting time data from the Portuguese National Health Service (SNS). Data were collected through a public Application Programming Interface (API), including near real-time emergency service updates (every 15 minutes), enabling more detailed temporal analyses. The system integrates and transforms raw data into structured analytical outputs, offering insights into waiting time disparities across institutions, specialties, and regions. It also evaluates data quality issues such as refresh frequency and inconsistencies. Our results highlight systemic inefficiencies and suggest opportunities for improving public health transparency and operational planning.