Patient-Expressed Perceptions of Wait-Time Causes and Wait-Related Satisfaction

Background: This study set out to identify patterns in the causes of waits and wait-related satisfaction. Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with urban, semi-urban, and rural patients (n = 60) to explore their perceptions of the waits they experienced in the detection and treatment of their breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer. We asked participants to describe their experiences from the onset of symptoms to the start of treatment at the cancer clinic and their satisfaction with waits at various intervals. Interview transcripts were coded using a thematic approach. Results: Patients identified five groups of wait-time causes: (1) Patient-related (beliefs, preferences, and non-cancer health issues); (2) Treatment-related (natural consequences of treatment); (3) System-related (the organization or functioning of groups, workforce, institution, or infrastructure in the health care system); (4) Physician-related (a single physician responsible for a specific element in the patient’s care); (5) Other causes (disruptions to normal operations of a city or community as a whole). With the limited exception of physician-related absences, the nature of the cause was not linked to overall satisfaction or dissatisfaction with waits. Conclusions: Causes in themselves do not explain wait-related satisfaction. Further work is needed to explore the underlying reasons for wait-related satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Although our findings shed light on patient experiences with the health system and identify where interventions could help to inform the expectations of patients and the public with respect to wait time, more research is needed to understand wait-related satisfaction among cancer patients.