Computer simulation: A method for analyzing patient and staffing interaction within an urban outpatient family planning clinic

A perplexing problem today in certain departments within urban hospitals is their inability to manage the patient flow effectively. This problem was observed during a management review of a Family Planning Clinic of a large teaching hospital in a major city in the southeastern part of the country. Some work stations had long waiting lines while others were empty; some clinic employees were always rushing to meet demand for their time while others sat and chatted; and patient waiting areas were overcrowded at certain times while there was a complete absence of patients at other times.

A computer simulation model was developed to study the possible effects of changing the current staffing policies of the Family Planning Clinic and the overall effect on reducing the observed bottlenecks. Current operating procedures were tested along with seven other alternatives in the analysis.

The simulation model was constructed with statistical parameters based on a comprehensive analysis of hospital records, interviews with the staff, and, most importantly, actual observations of patient arrivals, waiting lines, service times, and exit times.

More dollars are now being spent in health care delivery research than ever before. This study not only offers recommendations for improved patient flow at the Family Planning Clinic, but also shows that the use of such sophisticated analytical techniques in the health delivery field can be just as valuable and evoke just as many synergistic effects as has already been demonstrated in industry.