Hospital waiting-time observation worksheet

Define the events and observation window

Write the start event, end event, date and time window. Use one clock or check that observers' clocks agree. State which visits are eligible and how you will record an incomplete observation. Select consecutive eligible visits within the window where practical, rather than only those that moved quickly or had an uncomplicated journey.

Record observed times and context

Capture the actual event times without interrupting care. Separate waiting for a service from time spent receiving it. Record relevant operational context, such as a clinician arriving late or a registration system interruption, without adding diagnoses. Urgent care follows clinical priority; this exercise must not change that priority or encourage staff to delay a needed escalation.

Calculate and interpret the interval

Subtract the defined start time from the end time. Use full dates when an interval crosses midnight. Keep missing endpoints visible and exclude them from a completed-interval summary with an explicit count. Before comparing two windows, check whether the events, eligible visits and staffing conditions were comparable. A shorter interval in a small sample cannot by itself establish a cause.

AHRQ's US toolkit covers assessing workflow around health IT. The event definitions and worksheet here are our suggested local observation method, not a validated Nigerian performance target.

Source: Workflow Assessment for Health IT Toolkit.