Date of Defense

11-30-1999

Department

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Larry Mallak

Second Advisor

Dr. Sam Ramrattan

Abstract

Customer satisfaction is an important aspect of any industry. In order to be successful, a company must shift its focus to making improvements based upon customer input. The health care industry has been taking notice of the importance of patient surveys to provide input toward areas of improvement for several years.

In hospitals, low customer satisfaction is a direct result of a wide variety of factors. A number of detailed studies have been performed specifically for operating procedures that attempt to pinpoint major causes of patient dissatisfaction. The results of these studies have been compiled from many sources including patients, surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists.

One of the major sources of complaint is excessive patient wait times. A study done by Richins and Holmes in 1998 showed that contributing elements to patient wait times begin with disorganized scheduling procedures. They also stated that problems with scheduling procedures stem from inaccurate estimates of computer generated surgery durations and differences of opinion between surgeons and administration. Another factor found by Richins and Holmes pertains to a misunderstanding of the definition of actual start time. For example, some surgeons believe "start time" refers to the patient arrival to the operating room, while others believe it is the administration of anesthesia, or the first incision.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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