TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors relating to patient visit time with a physician
AU - Migongo, Alice W.
AU - Charnigo, Richard
AU - Love, Margaret M.
AU - Kryscio, Richard
AU - Fleming, Steven T.
AU - Pearce, Kevin A.
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - This study sought to identify factors that increase or decrease patient time with a physician, determine which combinations of factors are associated with the shortest and longest visits to physicians, quantify how much physicians contribute to variation in the time they spend with patients, and assess how well patient time with a physician can be predicted. Data were acquired from a modified replication of the 1997-1998 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, administered by the Kentucky Ambulatory Network to 56 primary care clinicians at 24 practice sites in 2001 and 2002. A regression tree and a linear mixed model (LMM) were used to discover multivariate associations between patient time with a physician and 22 potentially predictive factors. Patient time with a physician was related to the number of diagnoses, whether non-illness care was received, and whether the patient had been seen before by the physician or someone at the practice. Approximately 38% of the variation in patient time with a physician was accounted for by predictive factors in the tree; roughly 33% was explained by predictive factors in the LMM, with another 12% linked to physicians. Knowledge of patient characteristics and needs could be used to schedule office visits, potentially improving patient flow through a clinic and reducing waiting times.
AB - This study sought to identify factors that increase or decrease patient time with a physician, determine which combinations of factors are associated with the shortest and longest visits to physicians, quantify how much physicians contribute to variation in the time they spend with patients, and assess how well patient time with a physician can be predicted. Data were acquired from a modified replication of the 1997-1998 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, administered by the Kentucky Ambulatory Network to 56 primary care clinicians at 24 practice sites in 2001 and 2002. A regression tree and a linear mixed model (LMM) were used to discover multivariate associations between patient time with a physician and 22 potentially predictive factors. Patient time with a physician was related to the number of diagnoses, whether non-illness care was received, and whether the patient had been seen before by the physician or someone at the practice. Approximately 38% of the variation in patient time with a physician was accounted for by predictive factors in the tree; roughly 33% was explained by predictive factors in the LMM, with another 12% linked to physicians. Knowledge of patient characteristics and needs could be used to schedule office visits, potentially improving patient flow through a clinic and reducing waiting times.
KW - Kentucky Ambulatory Network
KW - National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
KW - primary care
KW - time with a physician
KW - visit length
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U2 - 10.1177/0272989X10394462
DO - 10.1177/0272989X10394462
M3 - Article
C2 - 21393556
AN - SCOPUS:84856597962
SN - 0272-989X
VL - 32
SP - 93
EP - 104
JO - Medical Decision Making
JF - Medical Decision Making
IS - 1
ER -