Analysis of Resources in Healthcare by Computer Simulation Studies in Healthcare: An Outpatient Clinic Study

Abstract

Use of computer simulation method in resource management in healthcare; A study in outpatient clinics Simulation can be used to determine the work load of the health staff and the needs of system resources in healthcare. We performed a simulation study for outpatient clinics of an internal medicine department. The data are obtained from electronic health recording system (EHR) except for the duration of doctor examination. Data from 18,750 patients were used. We used different scenarios to determine the critical factors affecting patient queue size. We found that the number of doctors was the most important factor influencing the waiting duration and patients queue size. Other factors affecting the system performance were the mean examination time and the revolving fund processes. In conclusion, this study shows that simulation is a possible method to determine critical factors for service performance.