Simulation-based patient flow analysis in an endoscopy unit

One of the major elements in improving efficiency of healthcare services is patient flow. Patients require a variety of healthcare resources as they receive healthcare services. Poor management of patient flow results in long waiting time of patients, under/over utilization of medical resources, low quality of care and high healthcare cost. This article addresses patient flow problems at a Gastrointestinal endoscopy unit. We attempt to analyze the main factors that contribute to the inefficient patient flow and process bottlenecks and to propose efficient patient scheduling and staff allocation alternatives to increase the system efficiency. Simulation models are used to examine various healthcare operational strategies.