Patient Wait Time and Throughput Interventions in the Cardiology Outpatient Setting

Author

Chioma Ohiri Tawose, Abilene Christian UniversityFollow

Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

2-2026

ORCID

0009-0002-4865-556X

Document Type

DNP Project

Department

Nursing

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Diana Schroeder

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Shawnna Cunning

Abstract

Healthcare collaboration and patient care require effective communication. Poor communication impacts wait time. Inadequate communication in the outpatient cardiology clinic can lead to disruptive patient throughput, or workflow, and extend patient length of visit. The purpose of this project was to implement a means of communication for clinicians and healthcare assistants to improve patient flow and cut down idleness, ultimately reducing patient wait time. The project established the incorporation of a built-in electronic health record communication notification system, the Event Button, for asynchronous communication between staff. A quantitative quality improvement design was used to conduct this project. Inferential and descriptive statistical data were collected. Patient total wait times, in minutes, were collected over 8 weeks before the intervention and then compared to 8 weeks postintervention. Postdata collection included age, sex, ethnicity, reason for visit, and patient visit total wait time. The project included 673 adult patients in a U.S. outpatient cardiology clinic. Data were extracted weekly by an IT specialist from the electronic health record during the postimplementation phase June 2–July 25, 2025, for statistical analysis. The project aimed to reduce the average wait time by at least 20%. The preintervention average wait time was 69.83 min. Following the implementation of the Event Button, the average wait time was 69.77 min. Comparative data demonstrated an average wait time decreased by 0.09% from the baseline mean wait time, revealing a p value of .971. Wait times reduced toward the end of the implementation, from 82.55 min on average at Week 1 to 54.93 min by Week 8. Nonsignificant changes in patient wait times may indicate the importance of staff retention and clinic census adjustments to prevent further delays. Clinical significance was appreciated with the electronic notification by allowing the clinic staff to immediately know v the phase of throughput of the patients in real time, offering clearer communication and improving overall patient flow in the clinic.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Tawose, Chioma Ohiri, "Patient Wait Time and Throughput Interventions in the Cardiology Outpatient Setting" (2026). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 997.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/997