Waiting Times: The Outpatient Referral Process, Variation, Performance and Structural Influences

Abstract

This thesis was an exploratory study of the outpatient referral process and waiting times experienced by patients in the public health system. The performance of health services was measured applying the criteria of efficiency, effectiveness and equity of access to the outpatient process and service delivery. This research has identified that the performance of outpatient services is influenced by the interrelationship between organisational culture, internal and external stakeholders, resources, demand for services, politics, policy and design of the health system. This conceptual framework provides health service managers with a systematic guide to system wide performance improvement.