نبذة مختصرة : Background: Quality of service, as perceived by patients in any healthcare facility is to a greatextent, dependent on the waiting time. Reducing patients waiting time increases patientssatisfaction and improves system efficiency. Purpose: To measure and analyze the waiting time of patients at the service points in theultrasound unit of a Nigerian tertiary hospital and to determine the mean examination time for thedifferent ultrasound investigations carried out. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in the ultrasound unit of theRadiology department at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu. Thewaiting and examination times of patients were measured directly through observation of systemoperations. The waiting time at the various service points identified as costing, update, paymentand examination were recorded. Mean, range and standard deviation of waiting and service timesformed the descriptive statistics for the. For inferential statistics, ANOVA test was carried outto test for significance in the different service point waiting times, and the different examinationtimes for the different investigations. Results: Mean waiting time was 3 hours 31 seconds and average exam time was 26 minutes 31 seconds.Analysis of variance on the service point where patients wait the most showed that the point aftermaking the payment was the most significant. There was no significant difference found in the amount oftime spent on different examinations (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Timely delivery of services is of optimum importance, considering the need forpatient-centred service. With the information provided on the waiting time at the different servicepoints in a typical teaching hospital ultrasound unit, departmental managers will be guided in theplanning of the departmentaloperations, to enhance patient satisfaction and system efficiency.
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