A Simulation Optimization Approach for Resource Allocation in an Emergency Department of a Healthcare Unit

Changes in the health system over time have made it a complex and dynamic system. This system also accounts for a large portion of government expenditure. Therefore, the need for improvement in these systems is very much felt. Despite experienced doctors, skilled workforce and appropriate facilities, organizations affiliated with the health system, such as hospitals, clinics, and other centers, still face many problems.This paper aims to allocate resources in the emergency department (ED) of Golestan Hospital to reduce patient waiting time and improve system performance. In this paper after introducing the Patient's process in ED the process is simulated in Arena software and a mathematical model is applied. Finally the optimal solution is presented.The paper succeeded in reducing the number of patients transferred to other hospitals by ۳۴%. Also it reduced patients' waiting time in the hospitalized ward by ۳۹.۳۲%, and patients’ waiting time in the intensive care unit by ۲۶.۷۲%.

کلیدواژه ها:

Emergency department ، Performance improvement ، Waiting time ، Simulation optimization