Personalized Persuasive Messaging System for Reducing Patient's Dissatisfaction With Prolonged Waiting Times

Long waiting time required before a patient sees a doctor is one of the major problems faced by many hospitals especially those in the developing countries. According to recent study, 97% of patients are frustrated by wait times at the doctor’s office. However, patient’s perceived wait times is often longer than the actual wait times because idle time tends to feel longer. As a result, it has been shown that perceptions regarding waiting time predicts overall patient satisfaction, but actual waiting times do not. Therefore, this paper discusses how persuasive technology can be used to reduce the overall dissatisfaction often associated with long wait times to see a doctor by reducing patient’s perceived wait times. We present a persuasive messaging system based on the fingerprint technology and mobile phones. The persuasive messaging system is based on three persuasion principles aimed at reducing perceived waiting time, reducing overall dissatisfaction, and persuading patients against leaving the hospital without seeing a doctor: (1) Set a clear expectation; (2) Explain the wait time; and (3) Provide regular updates. Decreased perceived waiting times should ultimately lead to increased patient satisfaction and better patient.