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Simulation and Improvement of Patients' Workflow in Heart Clinics during COVID-19 Pandemic Using Timed Coloured Petri
Masoomeh Zeinalnezhad1, Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh Chofreh2, Feybi Ariani Goni2,3
1Department of Industrial Engineering, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1468763785, Iran.
Insights
Simulation techniques can optimize hospital workflows for COVID-19 patient care, significantly reducing patient waiting times and improving healthcare system efficiency during outbreaks.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Operations Research
- Infectious Disease Preparedness
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant challenges to healthcare systems globally.
- Patients with cardiovascular disease are a particularly vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Hospitals face difficulties in managing patient flow, endangering staff and limiting treatment capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the application of simulation techniques for hospital preparedness during viral outbreaks.
- To identify and address bottlenecks in current healthcare workflows.
- To reduce patient waiting times and minimize risks of nosocomial transmission.
Main Methods:
- Initial simulation of existing heart clinic processes to identify workflow inefficiencies.
- Development and evaluation of three distinct optimization scenarios.
- Discrete-event simulation and workflow modeling using timed colored Petri nets.
Main Results:
- The current hospital workflow was found to be suboptimal for COVID-19 patient management.
- The second optimization scenario achieved a significant 62.3% reduction in patient waiting time.
- Simulation modeling proved effective in identifying critical bottlenecks and proposing viable solutions.
Conclusions:
- Workflow modeling and simulation techniques are valuable tools for managing healthcare systems during crises.
- Optimized workflows can enhance hospital capacity and reduce risks associated with infectious disease outbreaks.
- Implementing simulation-based strategies is crucial for protecting healthcare staff and patient well-being.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 epidemic has spread across the world within months and creates multiple challenges for healthcare providers. Patients with cardiovascular disease represent a vulnerable population when suffering from COVID-19. Most hospitals have been facing difficulties in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, and there is a need to minimise patient flow time so that staff health is less endangered, and more patients can be treated. This article shows how to use simulation techniques to prepare hospitals for a virus outbreak. The initial simulation of the current processes of the heart clinic first identified the bottlenecks. It confirmed that the current workflow is not optimal for COVID-19 patients; therefore, to reduce waiting time, three optimisation scenarios are proposed. In the best situation, the discrete-event simulation of the second scenario led to a 62.3% reduction in patient waiting time. This is one of the few studies that show how hospitals can use workflow modelling using timed coloured Petri nets to manage healthcare systems in practice. This technique would be valuable in these challenging times as the health of staff, and other patients are at risk from the nosocomial transmission.
