Limitations
A patient satisfaction survey was not included in the current
study, so that variable could not be correlated with the results.
The inclusion of a satisfaction instrument would provide useful
information in future studies. The impact of patient choice in
scheduling surgery, measured by comparing the date surgery
was offered as opposed to when it was performed, is a critical
time variable that can serve as a measure of patient satisfaction.
The general patient satisfaction survey in place at the current
study site does not address timeliness, so it was not relevant to
the current analysis. A patient satisfaction instrument was not
used in the current study because of its retrospective design
and to avoid recall bias. The patients were identified during two
years, and the last patient identification occurred more than six
months prior to the data analysis. Therefore, the patient satisfaction
variable could not be correlated with study data.
Another limitation of the current study is the generalizability
of the results because the study design included qualitative research
based on convenience sampling and has limited application
to a wider population or context. The lack of an electronic
medical record limited access so the study only included a
single provider using a nonelectronic medical record.