Number of stages. Patients with an appointment at the dermatology outpatient clinic queue multiple times throughout their visit to the hospital. When a patient arrives, he or she first checks in at a central registration pillar. In case there are problems with the registration, the patient is referred to the general reception desk. Once registration is done, the patient goes to the dermatology department where he/she registers one more time, such that the doctor is informed that the patient has arrived. The patient then takes a seat in the waiting room until the doctor calls him/her in. When the consultation has finished, the patient might queue one last time at the counter of the dermatology department to plan a check-up consultation, if necessary. It should be noted that for some specialisms a nurse carries out a pre-examination intake interview. During this pre-examination the nurse opens the patient’s file, briefly asks about the reason of the patient’s visit (the patient’s complaints), may complete a questionnaire and/or ask the patient to undress. In short, the following stages can thus be distinguished: - registration at central registration pillar (administrative) - registration at general reception desk (administrative - optional) - registration at dermatology department counter (administrative) - pre-examination (medical - optional) - consultation (medical) - making of follow-up appointment at dermatology department counter (administrative - optional) In total, the patient thus queues up to 6 times throughout his visit to the hospital, of which up to 4 times within the dermatology outpatient clinic. However, patients only queue once or twice for a medical service. Other times it’s just for administrative services.
