A Simulation Model for Bioterrorism Preparedness in an Emergency Room

The use of biological agents as weapons can cause disease and deaths in sufficient numbers that can greatly impact a city or region. Consequently, concerns about the preparedness and efficiency of healthcare systems for bioterrorism events have increased dramatically among hospital managements. This paper presents an innovative and sophisticated computer simulation model of the emergency room (ER) at the hospital featured in this study. The objective was to analyze patient flow throughout the treatment process, assess the utilization of ER resources, evaluate the impact of a hypothetical bioterrorist attack, and determine the appropriate resource and staff levels for such a bioterrorism scenario. The recommended staffing strategy at two bottlenecked areas of the hospital´s treatment facility would allow a significant reduction in patients´ total time in the ER and an improvement in the utilization of resources. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to investigate the effect of changes in input parameters