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Table 2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

From: Reducing wait time from referral to first visit for community outpatient services may contribute to better health outcomes: a systematic review

 

Inclusion

Exclusion

Participants

• Clients/patients referred to and waiting for ambulatory or community health services.

• People waiting for:

 ○ Mental health/addiction services

 ○ Specialist medical services (eg. surgery, diagnostic services, radiotherapy etc).

 ○ Inpatient treatment

 ○ Case management services

Intervention or independent variable

• Waiting for an ambulatory/ community allied health/therapy service.

• Time spent in the waiting room/ED

• Delay in seeking treatment

• Factors associated with access to service not related to waiting (for example location /cost /knowledge /attitudes/insurance status /culture)

• Studies with co-interventions. Eg Early intervention program involving high intensity treatment vs usual care.

Comparison

• People who waited vs people who didn’t wait for the same service

• Comparison of outcomes cohorts of people who waited for different amounts of time for the same service

• Comparisons of different protocols to determine the optimum timing of a treatment

• Studies without comparative data.

Outcomes

• Quality of care (safety, effectiveness, patient satisfaction)

• Clinical outcomes

• Satisfaction with care

• Service targets/outcomes/financial.

• Patients/clients never seen/denied service through waiting

• People who drop off the list having

• waited/FTA

• Drop out rate/non attendance/completion of program in terms of attendance

• Satisfaction related to service processes

Publication type

• Journal articles

• Qualitative and quantitative

• Peer reviewed, with data

• Case series

• Published in English

• Conference papers/abstracts/thesis

• Book chapters

• Editorials/Opinion

• Case study

• Review