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Losing Patience (and Patients)

What makes people wait in line, or decide to bail

Knowledge at Wharton
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 17:08
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Body

When you overhear a person five spots ahead of you at the coffee shop ordering a mocha light decaf, no whip, one pump, it might be enough to make you abandon your place in line and walk out. But what if the context is different and what’s at stake isn’t a hand-crafted drink, but your health—or even life itself?

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The factors influencing people who face this dilemma are analyzed in “Waiting Patiently: An Empirical Study of Queue Abandonment in an Emergency Department” by Christian Terwiesch, Wharton operations and information management professor, and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Robert J. Batt, a recent Wharton doctoral graduate. Knowing what compels emergency room visitors to wait or bail (i.e., queue abandonment) is a key piece of information that has been missing from the equation, despite its critical consequences, says Terwiesch.

 …

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Comments

Submitted by kmohror on Thu, 07/11/2013 - 13:34

Fodder for mobile health app innovators

This information management problem is begging for an app that will provide the wait time and triage score as a text message to any mobile device.The app would display those two data for all Emergency Depts. within a given radius to streamline the ailing person's decision-making.

The app would also inform the ED of the person's symptoms and pain (1 - 10) scale.

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Submitted by pillecw on Fri, 07/12/2013 - 08:23

In reply to Fodder for mobile health app innovators by kmohror

mobile health app

I don't think the hospitals would support such an app.  As the article said, they'll withhold information because, once you've decided to come to the ER, they don't want you to change your mind.  If you leave based on information they gave you and it does turn out to be a heart attack and not indigestion, you'll sue them into oblivion.

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Submitted by janemfraser (not verified) on Fri, 07/12/2013 - 08:57

The LWBS rate

The Leave Without Being Seen rates, by triage level, are: 1.7% (level 2), 9.5% (3), 4.7% (4), and 7.4% (5). Patients in the most severe triage level (1) never leave without being seen (because they are seen immediately).

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