Long waiting times, crowds are top complaints of local patients

A survey of over 20,000 patients in Shanghai found that most of them were unhappy with long wait times at public hospitals, crowding and noise in the outpatient department, and the outpatient staff's attitude and communication skills.

The survey asked patients about hospital facilities, Internet services, doctors, other medical staff and medical processes at 110 public hospitals.

Anti-pandemic measures, effective and convenient Internet service, timely help from volunteers or medical staff while processing machines, good service, and privacy protection while receiving injections and medical scanning won top marks.

Though local hospitals have promoted reservations and online service, patients still expressed dissatisfaction with outpatient department wait times and medical check reservation times like ultrasound, CT scanning, MRI and gastroendoscopy.

Many elderly patients need more volunteers and medical staff to help them reserve and demand a better allocation of medical resources by arranging more staff and clinics at the outpatient department and avoiding unnecessary medical checks to increase efficiency.

Many people want medical staff to improve communication and offer more human-centered service, like improving outpatient orders, perfecting processes, reducing crowds, explaining to patients and listening to their needs.

The survey suggested recruiting more volunteers to help the elderly, enlarging clinic screens, and designing the hospital's Internet platform for the elderly.