Does Choose & Book fail to deliver the expected choice to patients? A survey of patients' experience of outpatient appointment booking
2008

Patient Experiences with Choose and Book System

Sample size: 104 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Judith Green, Zoe McDowall, Henry Potts

Primary Institution: The Hillingdon Hospital

Hypothesis

Does the Choose and Book system provide patients with the expected choice for outpatient appointments?

Conclusion

Patients did not experience the degree of choice that Choose and Book was designed to deliver.

Supporting Evidence

  • 66% of Choose and Book patients reported not being given a choice of appointment date.
  • 66% reported not being given a choice of appointment time.
  • 86% reported being given a choice of fewer than four hospitals.

Takeaway

The study found that many patients felt they had little to no choice when booking their hospital appointments, which is not what the system was supposed to do.

Methodology

A questionnaire survey was conducted among patients at their first outpatient appointment to assess their experience with the Choose and Book system.

Potential Biases

Potential response bias due to the method of data collection, as patients with negative experiences may have been less likely to respond.

Limitations

The study had a small sample size and may not represent the broader patient population; it also relied on patients' recall of their experiences.

Participant Demographics

{"gender":{"female":29,"male":18},"age":{"16-29":10,"30-44":6,"45-59":11,"60-79":16,"80+":4},"ethnic_group":{"White British":30,"South Asian":9,"Other":3}}

Statistical Information

Confidence Interval

95% CI 52 to 78%

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6947-8-36

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