Development of a Patient Scheduling System for a Radio Diagnosis Department

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Operations Research
• Radiology Services

Background:

• Hospitals face global pressure to enhance service quality.
• Minimizing patient wait times is a critical challenge in healthcare delivery.
• Efficient patient flow is essential for operational effectiveness in diagnostic departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the queuing system of a computed tomography (CT) scan section in a public hospital.
• To identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in patient scheduling and throughput.
• To develop a user-friendly tool for optimizing patient appointments and reducing wait times.

Main Methods:

• Employing discrete-event simulation to model the CT scan queuing system.
• Analyzing system performance metrics such as waiting time, queue length, and service utilization.
• Developing a Microsoft Excel-based tool using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for patient scheduling.

Main Results:

• The simulation provided insights into the dynamics of the CT scan queuing system.
• The developed Excel tool offers a practical solution for scheduling optimization.
• Identified key factors influencing patient wait times within the radio-diagnosis department.

Conclusions:

• Simulation modeling is effective for understanding and improving hospital queuing systems.
• A user-friendly scheduling tool can significantly aid healthcare organizations in managing patient flow.
• Optimizing CT scan scheduling can lead to improved patient satisfaction and operational efficiency in public hospitals.