Modeling hospital surgical delivery process design using system simulation: optimizing patient flow and bed capacity as an illustration.
OBJECTIVE
It is increasingly recognized that hospital operation is an intricate system with limited resources and many interacting sources of both positive and negative feedback. The purpose of this study is to design a surgical delivery process in a county hospital in the U.S where patient flow through a surgical ward is optimized.


METHODS
The system simulation modeling is used to address questions of capacity planning, throughput management and interacting resources which constitute the constantly changing complexity that characterizes designing a contemporary surgical delivery process in a hospital.


RESULTS
The steps in building a system simulation model is demonstrated using an example of building a county hospital in a small city in the US. It is used to illustrate a modular system simulation modeling of patient surgery process flows.


CONCLUSIONS
The system simulation model development will enable planners and designers how they can build in overall efficiencies in a healthcare facility through optimal bed capacity for peak patient flow of emergency and routine patients.
Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN, USA. skumar@stthomas.edu
Sameer
S
Kumar
D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009874:Operations Research; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D057188:Workflow