Hospital Emergency Department Simulation for Resource Analysis

The Emergency Department (ED) is an integral part of hospitals. Admissions from the ED account for a significant proportion for a hospital's activity. Ensuring a timely and efficient flow of patients through the ED is crucial for optimising patient care. In recent years, ED overcrowding and its impact on patient flow has become a major issue facing the health sector. Simulation is rapidly becoming a tool of choice when examining hospital systems due to its capacity to involve numerous factors and interactions that impact the system. An analytical simulation model is used to investigate potential impacts by changing the following aspects of ED (physical layouts; number of beds; number and rate of patient arrivals; acuity of illness or injury of patients; access to radiology and pathology services; hospital staffing arrangements; and access to inpatient beds). Results of a significant numerical investigation at a hospital are also presented.