Outpatient waiting times: indicators of hospital performance?

We monitored outpatient waiting times at UK military hospitals over an 18-month period (September 1996-March 1998). The highest mean waiting times for Consultant appointment were in urology (19 weeks) and orthopaedics (18 weeks). The lowest mean waiting times were in psychiatry (3 weeks), ENT surgery (5 weeks) and rheumatology (6 weeks). Waiting times for surgical specialties were around 50% higher than for medical specialties. The inter-hospital variability in waiting times was 260%. Military waiting list initiatives were introduced in 4 key specialties, but the majority of these initiatives only had a temporary impact in reducing outpatient waiting times. Waiting times reflect the accessibility of a hospital's services, and are a crude but easily measured indicator of one aspect of patient care. With a military population base, outpatient waiting times should be reduced to the lowest practicable level. The keys to achieving a long-term reduction in waiting times are proper staffing levels and the efficient management of clinics.