I. Introduction
Time is one of the most valuable things to us. A time and motion study (or time-motion study) is
a business efficiency technique combining the time study work of Frederick Winslow Taylor (1881 A.D) with
the motion study work of Frank B. Gilberth and his wife Lillian Gilbreth (1885A.D). It is a major part
of scientific management (Taylorism)1
. Motion study is designed to determine best way to complete a repetitive
job while the time study measures how long it takes an average worker to complete a task at a normal pace.
Historically the two studies are discussed individually; today they generally are discussed as one. The two
techniques became integrated and refined into a widely accepted method applicable to the improvement and
upgrading of work systems. This integrated approach to work system improvement is applied to determine
schedules and planning of work in industrial as well as service organizations, including banks, schools and
hospitals2
. The objective of the Time and Motion Study is to determine a ‘normal’ or average time for a job, by
using observers to record exactly how much time is being devoted to each task. With this objective, time and
motion studies can be effective for performance evaluations as well as can be used for planning purposes3,4
.
During the last decade, the number of patients seeking Outpatient Department (OPD) services has increased
many folds, but the facilities in the OPD have not increased at the same rate. Huge number of patients in the
OPDs with limited manpower, especially in Rural Hospital, creates chaos as well as the chance of
mismanagement. OPD thus requires a systematic study of its service for its efficient management and function.
It is therefore imperative that a simple time and motion study of an OPD system and suitable inexpensive
interventions can go a long way to improve the efficiency of a hospital. Dearth of literature has been found on
time and motion study in OPD settings with OPD of rural hospital as rarity. Hence the present study was carried
out in the OPD clinic of a rural hospital to know the time taken in different service delivery points in outpatient
department and to assess the perception of beneficiaries regarding the total time spent in the OPD