Managing the clinic wait: an important quality of care challenge.

Patients spend a substantial amount of time in clinics waiting for services to be delivered by nursing and other allied health professionals. The degree to which health consumers are satisfied with the care received is strongly related to the quality of the wait experience. Health care organizations that strive to deliver exceptional service must effectively manage their clinic wait. Failure to incorporate consumer-driven features into the design of the wait experience will lead to patient and provider dissatisfaction.