Time-Motion Analysis of Patient Flow in a Family Medicine Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore

Abstract

Objective: This Time-Motion study used a structured approach to analyze patient flow through the Family Medicine Department, to improve efficiency in healthcare delivery by identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for improving workflow.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional time-motion study and data for six-day-period between 08:00 A.M. to 05:00 P.M. was obtained from the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) of Indus Hospital and Health Network, Lahore, that automatically records time stamps for key patient flow events (registration, consultation, investigation, and discharge) as part of routine clinical operations. Electronic time stamps were generated from HMIS. 2,762 patient journeys were included, each representing one complete patient visit to the Family Medicine Department during study period.

Result: It was found that the average time in doctor’s chamber was approximately eight minutes (reasonable for quality consultation), yet subsequent processes like, recording vital signs, phlebotomy, ultrasonography etc, generated significant delays. Doctor-to-ultrasound pathway showed highest average time of 167.5 minutes. This study revealed that non-clinical and post-consultation processes consume a disproportionate share of patient time, overshadowing direct clinical encounters. Bottlenecks were linked to infrastructure and process design constraints.

Conclusion: The study identifies significant time delays in diagnostic and pharmacy processes. The findings suggest system-level reforms particularly in increasing diagnostic capacities to optimize workflow.