Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: The healthcare sector is a fast growing segment of GNP in almost every economy. No wonder that we witnessed a tremendous increase in research both medical research to improve medical practice but also research to improve management practices. Patient flow management is an example. Patient flow represents the ability of the healthcare system to serve patients quickly, reliably and efficiently as they move through stages of care. Unfortunately patients still experience delays and waiting lists. A queueing model offers an excellent tool to analyze and to improve the performance of healthcare systems. The purpose of this contribution is to discuss differences with the modeling of manufacturing systems and to focus on modeling issues in patient flow. Next, we discuss two specific topics: first, the impact of interrupts and absences on waiting lists and delays, and second, the modeling of batches in healthcare operations.
Authors: Stefan Creemers, Marc Lambrecht, Nico Vandaele
Language: Dutch
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2142959162