A cross-sectional study on temporal distribution characteristics of outpatient visits in a tertiary TCM hospital: Implications for nursing staff allocation.

Authors

Qin Wang, Chunchun Chen, Huayu Fang, Jing Meng, Yan Cao, Xiaofang Wang, Zhigang Lin

Published in

Medicine. Volume 105. Issue 33. Pages e50301. Aug 14, 2026.

Abstract

To identify temporal distribution patterns and peak periods of outpatient visits in a tertiary grade A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital and to provide a reference for the formulation of outpatient nursing staffing plans, we conducted a retrospective analysis of daily outpatient data collected from January 2020 to December 2024. Visits from walk-in clinics and physical examination departments were excluded to eliminate confounding factors related to COVID-19 nucleic acid testing and ensure the dataset reflected routine TCM clinical needs. Log-linear regression, the concentration degree method (M value), and the circular distribution method were adopted for data analysis, and all statistical analyses were performed using R software (version 4.4.1). Annual outpatient volume showed a statistically significant steady upward trend, with an annual growth rate of 9.92% (β = 0.0947, 95% CI: 0.0814-0.1080, P < .001). The M values ranged from 0.179 to 0.330 across the 5 years, with an overall M value of 0.218. Circular distribution analysis identified October 15 as the overall peak day, with the peak period falling on October 13 to 18; annual peaks were mainly concentrated between mid-September and early November. Rayleigh tests revealed statistically significant temporal aggregation (all P < .001). The corresponding r values ranged from 0.034 to 0.184, indicating weak practical aggregation intensity of outpatient visits. TCM outpatient visits presented steady growth and autumn-centered temporal distribution characteristics. We put forward potential ideas for outpatient nursing staffing planning, which can serve as a reference for clinical practice and facilitate the integration of the TCM concept of "Zhi Wei Bing (preventive treatment of disease)" into daily work.

PMID:
42601771
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Aug 2026.

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