Project R-7262

A simulation-optimization framework for analyzing and managing emergency departments (Research)

Emergency Departments (EDs), one of the main entry points of a hospital, constitute an important chain in a health care system. Due to a remarkable growth in demand and the ever tightening budgets, the need for services often exceeds the available resources. This project provides tools and guidelines for hospital managers to efficiently manage their ED in order to reduce the crowding problem. First, a computer simulation model, mimicking an actual ED, is constructed by combining traditional simulation methods with innovative process mining techniques for analyzing real-life data. The simulation model allows for testing potential improvements without having to implement them in practice. Second, a simulation-optimization methodology is proposed to efficiently find the best configuration of an ED. In contrast to existing research, multiple performance measures are optimized (e.g., patient waiting times, length of stay, costs, etc.), and both improvements in terms of resource levels (e.g., number of nurses) and system changes (e.g., alternative prioritization rules) are investigated. Finally, short- and long-term management guidelines are proposed. Long-term guidelines aim at continuously improving the performance of the ED by linking performance measures to hospital strategy. Short-term guidelines prevent crowding from happening by identifying indicators that are well suited to predict crowding problems in the near future, together with corrective actions to be taken.

01 October 2016 - 30 September 2018