Time to address disparities in care by appointment time

Healthc (Amst). 2021 Mar;9(1):100507. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100507. Epub 2020 Dec 15.

Abstract

Quality of care systematically decreases over the course of the day. Ensuring that patients seen later in the day receive the same care as patients seen first thing in the morning has broad clinical and economic implications for our health care system. In this article, we outline feasible near-term solutions to direct clinicians and patients toward consistently better primary care decisions, throughout the day. These insights could be adapted to address similar challenges in other health care settings.

Keywords: Evidence-based medicine; Medical decision-making; Quality.

MeSH terms

  • Delivery of Health Care*
  • Humans
  • Primary Health Care*