Functional analysis of patients flow in out patient department of civil hospital Karachi

ABSTRACT

A study to assess the functional analysis of the outpatient department of Civil Hospital, Karachi was conducted on 2000 patients during 1993-95. Each patient was followed from entrance in the hospital to leave the hospital. Mean time spent by the patients on one way from leaving home to enter in the hospital was 45.4 +/- 31.4 minutes [range 5 - 300 minutes], where as mean time spent in the hospital was 30.7 +/- 20.3 minutes [range 6 -185 minutes]. 71% of the patients got all the medicines from the hospital. Awareness of local government dispensaries may be increased to reduce the rush at a teaching hospital. Some more facilities like laboratory test, x-ray, minor operations, ultrasound etc, may be provided at these local dispensaries so that people give more attention to these dispensaries. Simultaneously, filter clinics should be established at hospital level to get general patients for medical students and complicated patients for postgraduate students