Modeling population screening process for maximizing throughputs.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Emergency Preparedness
• Radiation Protection

Background:

• Large-scale radiation emergencies necessitate rapid population screening for external and internal contamination.
• Efficient resource management is key to maximizing screening throughput and public safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model screening throughputs in a population screening center under varying arrival rates and contamination probabilities.
• To evaluate the impact of resource allocation on screening center capacity during emergencies.

Main Methods:

• Simulations were conducted for both the full screening process and the core screening sub-processes.
• Key variables included arrival rate (people per minute) and contamination probability.
• A fixed set of resources was considered for the modeling.

Main Results:

• Screening center throughput decreases as arrival rates increase, potentially leading to system overload.
• Contamination probability significantly impacts throughput only at high arrival rates.
• Both full and core process simulations showed similar trends.

Conclusions:

• High arrival rates during emergencies pose a significant challenge to screening center capacity.
• Resource allocation and potentially establishing multiple screening centers are necessary to manage high patient loads effectively.
• Contamination probability is a critical factor influencing resource needs at elevated arrival rates.