“Create a line graph of Eastside Clinic average wait times in minutes from January to June: Primary care 24, 22, 21, 19, 18, 17; Pediatrics 31, 29, 27, 25, 26, 23; Imaging 18, 20, 19, 17, 16, 15.”
Read the decisions behind it.
measure wait time consistently across departments.
pediatrics rises in May while other lines improve.
show averages, not patient-level events.
Use for operational trends when each service shares a common time measure.
Other examples in this family.
Common questions
What should wait time measure?
Define it clearly, such as arrival to clinician start time.
Why compare departments?
It helps locate service-specific issues that a clinic average would hide.
Can I use median wait time?
Yes. Use the same statistic consistently and label it.