For an initiative to reduce emergency department waiting times, what kind of measure are patient cycle times considered?

Patient cycle times are classified as process measures because they reflect the efficiency of specific steps in the patient care process within the emergency department. Such measures focus on the activities and processes that occur during the patient's interaction with the healthcare delivery system, which in this case includes the time it takes for patients to move through various stages of care in the emergency department.

Process measures provide insights into how well the healthcare teams are performing their tasks and can help identify areas for improvement. By analyzing patient cycle times, the healthcare facility can pinpoint bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the workflow that may contribute to longer waiting times.

In contrast, outcome measures would evaluate the effects of the initiative, such as patient satisfaction or the number of patients leaving without being seen, while balancing measures would assess unintended consequences of changes made in the process. Performance measures can encompass both outcome and process measures but are generally broader in scope. Therefore, patient cycle times specifically align with the characteristics of process measures.