---
title: How to interpret Box and Whisker charts?
description: "in SystemView, Box and Whisker charts show how wait times are spread: the box highlights the middle 50% of patients, the line marks the median, the whiskers show the 5th–95th percentile range, and the grey and red crosses mark the shortest and longest waits."
---
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November 13, 2025
# How to interpret Box and Whisker charts?
## Box and Whisker charts (sometimes called Box Plots) are used in SystemView to show how wait times are spread across patients, helping you quickly identify patterns, medians, and outliers.
You’ll see these charts in both **Outpatient** and **Surgery** components:
- [Outpatients \> Wait Times ›](https://academy.healthcarelogic.com/knowledge/outpatients#wait-times)
- Surgery \> Wait Times ›
---
### **How to read the chart**
A Box and Whisker chart summarises data into **quartiles**, highlighting where most patients sit compared to the extremes.
| Part of the chart | Screenshot | What it tells you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Box (the main part) |  | Covers the **middle 50% of patients** (from the 25th to 75th percentile). This shows where most wait times fall. |
| Line inside the box |  | The **median (50th percentile)** – the “typical” wait time, with half of patients waiting less and half waiting more. |
| Whiskers (the lines sticking out) |  | Stretch to the **5th percentile (bottom)** and **95th percentile (top)**, showing the range where 90% of patients’ wait times fall. |
| Grey cross |  | The **minimum wait time** – the shortest time a patient has waited or is waiting. |
| Red cross |  | The **maximum wait time** – the longest time a patient has waited or is waiting. |
| Hover text |  | Displays the **full breakdown**: 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th percentiles, plus the minimum and maximum wait times, and the total number of patients waiting/seen. |
---
### **Why it matters**
- **Spot variation:** See if most patients experience consistent wait times or if they vary widely.
- **Identify extremes:** The crosses highlight the very shortest and longest waits.
- **Compare services:** Quickly compare different clinics, specialties, or surgeons.
---
### **Example**
Imagine you’re looking at a specialty’s wait times in **SystemView**:
- The **median line** is at **40 days** → half of patients waited less than 40 days, and half waited longer.
- The **box** spans from **30 to 60 days** → the middle 50% of patients waited between 30 and 60 days.
- The **whiskers** extend from the **5th percentile (20 days)** to the **95th percentile (90 days)** → 90% of patients are within this range.
- The **grey cross** shows the **minimum wait time** (e.g., 10 days).
- The **red cross** shows the **maximum wait time** (e.g., 150 days).
**Interpretation:** Most patients waited between 30–60 days, with almost all falling between 20–90 days. The grey and red crosses show the rare cases at the very shortest and longest ends.
---
#### **💡Tip:** Start with the **median** to understand the typical patient’s experience, then look at the box and whiskers for variation, and finally check the crosses to see the extremes.
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