A cross-sectional study on temporal distribution characteristics of outpatient visits in a tertiary TCM hospital

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.