Discrete simulation applied to the improvement of patient flows in hospital institutions

Abstract

Hospital services need to develop management based on the phenomena that make up their environment and project themselves to the needs of their patients. In this sense, managing patient flows allows for optimizing hospital resources and increasing patient safety during the patient’s journey. The objective of this article is to improve the management of patient flows in hospital institutions through the application of discrete simulation. The proposed methodology integrates the processes of planning, execution, verification, and action. Among the tools used are the process descriptions, Diagnosis Related Groups definition, and discrete simulation. Additionally, tools from manufacturing systems are adapted to hospital management in the solutions proposal. Among the main results, patient flow management is improved in the Urology service of the Faustino Pérez Hernández Clinical and Surgical Teaching Hospital in Matanzas province, Cuba. The process is described, and a simulation model is built to identify insufficiencies and check the feasibility of improvements. Discrete simulation is an operations management tool that facilitates managing and improving patient flows in hospital institutions.