Date of Conferral

11-10-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Miriam Ross

Abstract

Leaders in urgent care centers across the United States continue to face challenges with patient flow, long wait times, and inconsistent staffing. The purpose of this integrative review was to explore strategies that help improve workflow efficiency and reduce wait times in urgent care settings. The review question pertained to strategies and best practices that could be implemented to improve patient flow management in urgent care centers. This study was guided by general systems theory, which views urgent care as a connected system where people, processes, and technology work together to influence outcomes. A review of literature published within the past 5 years produced 96 relevant studies, and 28 of those were analyzed using the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model. From this analysis, five main themes and 12 subthemes emerged. The five themes included (a) process improvement, (b) workflow optimization, (c) technology integration, (d) staff engagement and development, and (e) patient-centered communication. Subthemes focused on workflow standardization, triage protocols, predictive scheduling, real-time monitoring, leadership, morale, and patient feedback. The findings showed that improving coordination and communication between all parts of the workflow helps increase efficiency, reduce delays, and improve the overall patient experience. Applying systems theory to urgent care settings supports sustainable improvement and helps create a stronger, more efficient, and patient-focused environment that promotes positive social change.

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