Levelling bed occupancy: reconfiguring surgery schedules via simulation

• Published in: International journal of health care quality assurance 2018-08, Vol.31 (7), p.864-876
• Main Authors: Yip, Kenneth, Leung, Louisa, Yeung, Deacons
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Appointments and Schedules; Changes; Efficiency, Organizational; Elective surgery; Emergency medical care; Gender; Health administration; Hospital administration; Hospital Bed Capacity; Humans; Intelligence; Interviews as Topic; Length of Stay; Models, Organizational; Occupancy; Operating Rooms - organization & administration; Operations research; Orthopedics; Patients; Qualitative Research; Quality of care; Quality of service; Research methodology; Resource allocation; Schedules; Scheduling; Simulation; Surgery; Surgery Department, Hospital - organization & administration; Urology; Workforce planning; Workloads
• ISSN: 0952-6862; 1758-6542
• DOI: 10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2017-0237

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present simulation modelling to reconfigure a 700-bed Hong Kong hospital’s master surgery schedule (MSS), aiming to improve patient flow, capacity management and resource allocation through levelling bed occupancy within the hospital. Design/methodology/approach A discrete-event simulation model was developed to understand how changes to the MSS would affect bed occupancy, thereby providing business intelligence for short- and long-term hospital planning. A decision tool was subsequently developed for hospital managers to test different scenarios. Findings Simulation modelling showed that significant bed occupancy levelling could be achieved through small and practicable changes to the MSS. Optimisation routines conducted using the simulation model then gave additional insights into how the schedule should be revamped for the long term. Practical implications The authors show how operations research methods are useful for guiding hospital operational planning. The authors show that a data-driven and evidence-based model enables hospital managers to critically explore various scheduling changes, while also providing a scientific common ground for discussion among important stakeholders. It is a crucial step forward when adopting advanced analytics for Hong Kong hospital operational planning. Originality/value The authors provide a robust method for evaluating the relationship between Hong Kong hospital’s MSS and its bed occupancy. Through simulating various changes to the surgical schedule, valuable and practicable insights were made available for hospital managers to make short- and longer-term changes that enhance the system’s overall efficiency and service quality.