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AN EVALUATION OF PATIENT ATTENDANCE RATE IN UNIVERSITY OF UYO TEACHING HOSPITAL: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

1-5 Chapters
Simple Percentage
NGN 4000

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION 

University of Uyo Teaching Hospital since its inception in 1994 has received considerable amount of people, for treatment medical advice, family planning and a host of other reason. Different categories of people have patronized the hospital for its efficiency. It is therefore in the best interest of the researcher to use his or her knowledge of statistic application is the attendance of ill health (patients) attending the hospital. It does not and here the research as will look forward to classifying, arranging and recording the monthly, quarterly, annual, bi-annual attendance of patients in the hospital.

In an attempt to introduce efficient methods and routine towards comparing the total attendance of, in and out patient this in general comprises of male, female and children patient attending the hospital.

To crown it all, it shall be in form of data (secondary, primary data) depending on the set of people wishing to use it and purpose or criterion behind using the research, the data collected will be analysis organized, summarized and compiled. Since hospital patronage is consistent and continuous process, it will be an efficient data collection, centres and will promote statistical application and voluminous data i.e. moving average and time series analysis.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Accurate prediction of future patient attendance in hospital units is essential for patient safety, health outcomes, and resource planning. Forecasting census in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital is particularly challenging due to limited ability to control the attendance and clinical trajectories. The fixed average census approach, using average census from previous year, is a forecasting alternative used in clinical practice, but has limitations due to census variations. There is need to study the statistic attendance of ill health patients attending the hospital in order to classify, arrange and record their monthly, quarterly, annually and bi-annually attendance in the hospital. This will in-turn help to verify whether their is an increase or decrease of patients that visit the hospital. Hence, this study seeks to carryout a time series analysis of patient attendance in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital from 1994 to 2007.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

  1. To determine whether there is an increase or decrease in patients’ attendance.

  2. To forecast the patient attendance by using linear trend method

  3. To forecast for patient attendance using the fitted trend equation from 2008 to 2012

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

  1. Is there an increase or decrease in patients’ attendance? 

  2. What will be the patient attendance by using linear trend method?

  3. What will be patient attendance using the fitted trend equation from 2008 to 2012?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The following hypotheses will be tested in this study:

Ho: There is no increase in patients’ attendance from 1998 to 2007

Hi: There is an increase in patients’ attendance from 1994 to 2007

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be of immense benefit to University of Uyo Teaching Hospital management because it will bring to their knowledge the record of their patients attendance for the year under review as well as a proper forecast of the coming years. This study will also benefit other hospitals by guiding them on the need to carryout similar analysis in their hospitals to enable them know whether they are increasing or decreasing in number of patients that cone to them. This study will further serve as a reference material for further studies in the future.

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This research will limit it analysis on the comparison of the attendance of patient. (IN and OUT) based on secondary data collected from the hospital University of Uyo Teaching Hospital from (1994 to 2007).

VARIOUS DEPARTMENT OF THE HOSPITAL

The hospital consists of nine (9) departments. The various departments include:

Medical Department: The Medical Director is the overall boss of the hospital. He is only answerable to the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Health. He is in charge of all medical cases.

Administration Department: Hospital secretary is the head of this department. He heads all the administrative staff of various departments of the hospital and all heads of department are under him and answerable them, as every head administered on his behalf.  

Nursing Service Department: The nursing service department is in charge with central of nurses, their posting, their duty roster, their shifting training to other post basic courses.

Medical Record Department: This department deals with keeping record and collection of data.

Laboratory: Technologist works in the laboratory and for the operation of laboratories equipment.

Pharmacy Department: The pharmaceutical department is in charge with the supply of drugs, drugs custody, drug protection and storage etc.

Radiology Department: The radiology is in charge with x-ray e.g. chinstraps etc.

Ophthalmology Department: Ophthalmology department is in charge with all cases of eye, its treatment etc.

E.N.T Department: This department is in charge with all cases of ear.