Richelle, good discussion post and relevant topic choice. Another option for your problem statement would be to tie your purpose statement and problem statement together by stating the problem statement as follows:
Open access appointment scheduling is an increasing demand in healthcare to meet the demands of patients who want same day care, to increase physician productivity, prevent unnecessary urgent care and decrease emergency room visits. A reality of open access scheduling is shortened lengths of appointments, which in turn may have an adverse effect on patient care and patient satisfaction. This problem statement would then align well with your statement of purpose and research question.
I believe that your hypothesis “patient care and satisfaction are directly affected by shortened appointment times”. Would be a complex, research, non-directional hypothesis. Complex in the fact that there are two dependent variables, patient care and satisfaction and one independent variable, shortened appointment times. It would be researchable by using a quantitative measurement to compare the length of appointment times to patient’s satisfaction scores using a Likert scale in a questionnaire. Patient care outcomes may be harder to measure; however, you…show more content… Conversely, Dugdale, Epstein & Pantilat (1999) reviewed literature and conluded that in the Unites States, rates above 3 to 4 visits per hour may lead to suboptimal visits, decreased patient satisfaction, increased patient turnover, or inappropriate prescribing. Although this is a relatively old article, it shows us that this has been a pertinent area of concern for many years and it definitely warrants further
