Track: Healthcare Systems

Abstract

The study of healthcare systems has become of great significance lately. Hospital departments, such as the Emergency Department (ED) or the operating theatre face many challenges. Modelling and analysis of healthcare systems play a key role in assisting healthcare managers to make correct decisions regarding capacity planning, resource allocation and scheduling. Review of literature clearly shows that multi-objective simulation modelling of the ED’s patient flow is one of the most frequently studied topics in healthcare management. Patient length of stay, waiting times, resource utilizations and number of patients treated are commonly used performance indicators of an ED. A framework for an integrated simulation and Genetic Algorithm (GA) is presented. The GA focuses on optimization of resource levels throughout the ED, which directly affects patient flow. Two simulation tools are utilized in the framework, Discrete Event Simulation (DES), which replicates the performance of that ED with optimized resources, and System Dynamics, which models the entire healthcare system, studying the interrelationships that exist between the ED and the rest of the hospital. DES of an existing ED found in literature is presented. Results of simulation confirm the need for an integrated framework to assess the performance of a healthcare system.