Investigating perceived delay in outpatient clinic registration: insights from a primary care setting in Nigeria

Background : Inequity in healthcare access remains a critical issue on the global agenda. Prolonged clinic waiting time is a known barrier to healthcare access and an important measure of healthcare quality. However, in Nigeria, patients’ perception of registration time in the primary care clinic is still incompletely understood. Objectives : To assess perceived outpatient clinic registration delay and its determinants in a Nigerian primary care setting. Methods : This cross-sectional study involved 362 patients randomly selected from general outpatient clinic attendees of a Nigerian tertiary hospital in 2024. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect essential data (demographic data, registration characteristics, and clinic cycle times). Data were analyzed using Epi Info software. Results : Participants' mean age was 36.0±14.2 years, with most being female(n=214, 59.1%). Most were Muslims(78.4%) from the Hausa tribe(61.9%). Participants spent a median of 60 minutes between clinic arrival and commencing payment, 20 minutes at the payment window, 27 minutes at the record window, and 159 minutes between clinic arrival and completing registration. About 42.5% of participants reported a delay at the records window, mainly citing too many patients/long queues with few staff as the cause. Participants’ tribe, payment window time, and time spent between clinic arrival and completing registration were the determinants of perceived registration delay. Conclusions : The dissatisfaction rate with registration time was high. To improve patient satisfaction with registration time would require strategic interventions. Deploying technology (alternative payment options, and electronic medical records) to reduce registration cyle time and educating patients on the registration process could be useful interventions.