The Effectivity of Outpatient Waiting Time in Hospital through Online or Web-based Reservation (Literature Review)

Abstract

The issue of long waiting times for outpatients remains a prevalent problem in healthcare services, particularly in hospitals. This can be mitigated through the implementation of an effective patient scheduling system, such as an online or web-based scheduling system. However, such systems are not widely utilized and have not received significant attention in Indonesian healthcare services, especially in public healthcare services. This study aims to identify the advantages of an online reservation system and determine the influential factors for developing an effective outpatient scheduling system for patients. A literature review was conducted using a systematic approach, searching through databases such as PubMed, ProQuest, and Scopus for publications from the past 5 years. The initial search using keywords "online reservation" OR "web-based reservation" OR "appointment system" AND "outpatient" AND "waiting time" AND "hospital" yielded 85 relevant literature sources. The PRISMA framework was then applied to narrow down the selection to 9 relevant literature sources, which were reviewed in-depth. The findings revealed numerous advantages of implementing an online scheduling system, including increased patient satisfaction, enhanced patient-centeredness, reduced patient absences, decreased workload for doctors and medical staff, among others. This review suggests that there are numerous advantages to implementing online or web-based reservation systems, as well as various types of online scheduling systems that can be applied and implemented in healthcare services. Practical implications and suggestions for further research are also discussed in this study.