The Operational System Improvement for Service Time Reduction of Patients with Chronic Diseases, Thachang Primary Care Unit, Chanthaburi Province

Abstract

This developmental research aimed to examine the effects of the operational system improvement on the duration of service time and service satisfaction of patients with chronic diseases. The samples consisted of 210 patients with chronic diseases receiving services at Thachang Primary Care Unit, Chanthaburi Province. The research instruments were composed of the operational system for service time reduction, the questionnaire of demographic data, the recording form of service time, the questionnaire of service satisfaction with the reliability of .94, and a stop watch. The implementation and data collection were conducted from July 10 to October 2, 2013. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and paired t-test.

The results revealed that after the operational system was improved, 1) an average service time was statistically significant lower than that before the improvement (t = 12.120, p < .001) and 2) an average service satisfaction was statistically significant higher than that before the improvement (t = 21.180, p < .001).

This study suggested that health care providers should apply this operational system to modify service quality. This will help shorten the service time and increase service satisfaction.