waitlag
/ˈweɪtlæɡ/nounVerified NewThe felt gap between referral and appointment, experienced as administrative time rather than biological time.
The body does not pause while the queue moves, yet the patient's calendar, anxiety, and symptoms are all held in the referral's frame. A waitlag can outlast the illness it was meant to catch, or resolve itself by the time the consult arrives. It is the interval where hope, dread, and paperwork live together.
Etym. — wait + lag, joining trustlag's family: a delay measured in the institution's time, not the patient's.
Rel. — corridorclock · referralrust
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-06-health.md
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Method: Editorial batch review — per-word exact-form web search (WebSearch/Tavily) per docs/REVIEW-criteria.md §2