The article that I have chosen discusses the analysis of emergency room wait time issues via computer simulation. The analysis was made by John T. Blake and Michael W. Carter from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. Many patients want to receive treatment as fast as possible and despise the idea of waiting. Although the article was written in 1996, the problem with long emergency room wait time still occurs today even at the most modern and advanced hospitals. Even with the many measures that have been implemented in the hospitals to reduce waiting time and prioritize patients with an emergency situation, it is still impossible to please every single patient. According to the study that
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This caused delays in the delivery of primary care and not all of the requests could be accommodated in a timely manner. The amount of workload that a casualty officer received also proved to be another factor that increased patients’ waiting time. Casualty officers are typically responsible for the care of five or six patients. Besides that, they are also responsible for supervising one or two medical residents. As a result, casualty officers have to finish determining at least one patient’s final disposition, while observing and directing residents before they can see another patient.
The Phase II of Blake’s and Carter’s observation study involves constructing a simulation model and identifying any critical factors. The simulation model was validated against actual data from the hospital to ensure that it was capable of reproducing the function of the emergency room. A 2k factorial experiment was designed to quantify the issues that were believed to affect patient wait time. Using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques, it was evident that casualty officer and resident availability and the interaction between them are significant components of patient wait …show more content…
Just like what was mentioned in a case study conducted by Albert Felix Imahsunu, in manufacturing industries, the focus of production control is on the flow of materials. However, in hospitals and other similar institutions, the most important process is the flow of patients, while the flow of materials is secondary. Imahsunu further explained that production control has specific requirements that the factory has to follow to make the end-products and a set schedule for the delivery, whereas for the healthcare industries, there is rarely a fixed standard for product specifications. Not only do the highly trained professionals (medical specialists) generate requests for service, but they are also involved in delivering the service (Imahsunu, 2014, p. 16). Also, medical care is not something that can be stocked and put as
This caused delays in the delivery of primary care and not all of the requests could be accommodated in a timely manner. The amount of workload that a casualty officer received also proved to be another factor that increased patients’ waiting time. Casualty officers are typically responsible for the care of five or six patients. Besides that, they are also responsible for supervising one or two medical residents. As a result, casualty officers have to finish determining at least one patient’s final disposition, while observing and directing residents before they can see another patient.
The Phase II of Blake’s and Carter’s observation study involves constructing a simulation model and identifying any critical factors. The simulation model was validated against actual data from the hospital to ensure that it was capable of reproducing the function of the emergency room. A 2k factorial experiment was designed to quantify the issues that were believed to affect patient wait time. Using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques, it was evident that casualty officer and resident availability and the interaction between them are significant components of patient wait …show more content…
Just like what was mentioned in a case study conducted by Albert Felix Imahsunu, in manufacturing industries, the focus of production control is on the flow of materials. However, in hospitals and other similar institutions, the most important process is the flow of patients, while the flow of materials is secondary. Imahsunu further explained that production control has specific requirements that the factory has to follow to make the end-products and a set schedule for the delivery, whereas for the healthcare industries, there is rarely a fixed standard for product specifications. Not only do the highly trained professionals (medical specialists) generate requests for service, but they are also involved in delivering the service (Imahsunu, 2014, p. 16). Also, medical care is not something that can be stocked and put as