Abstract:
We encounter waiting lines while going about our regular business. Individuals (patients) have
inconveniences when waiting in a line or queue, and businesses and organizations incur fees.
Patients wait for health care services before, during, or after being serviced for a few seconds, an
hour, a day, or even months. The study was undertaken to determine the effects of queuing and
waiting time in the delivery of health care, using Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua as a study
area. A descriptive research design guided the study. Purposive and convenient sampling
approaches were used to choose the study sample. Ninety five (95) respondents made up the
study's sample. Data was gathered via a questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were
used to examine the data, and the findings are shown in figures and tables. It was discovered that
patients spend between 90-120 minutes in a queue receiving health care delivery and they
suggested that the hospital needs to reduce the steps involved in the queuing systems to improve
patient satisfactions. Again, patients and employees agreed queuing systems enhance health care
delivery, but most of the patients mentioned that queuing systems promote fairness and
transparency in receiving health care services whiles employees stated that queuing systems
reduce waiting time on regular basis. The study further found that patients agreed that there are
challenges facing the use of queuing systems in the hospital and this challenge is poor design of
queuing system which leads to long waiting time. The study recommended management of the
hospital to invest more in electronic booking facilities and make more liberal policies for
electronic booking appointments to reduce the length of queue in the hospital.
