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Streamlining Hospital Planning: A User-Friendly Decision Support Tool for Enhanced Healthcare Delivery
1Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
Summary
A new decision support tool (DST) aids healthcare leaders in planning services and optimizing resources. This simulation model demonstrated a virtual ward reduced patient backlogs and resource strain.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Operations Research
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Healthcare systems face increasing demand and resource limitations, complicating service planning.
- Existing tools lack comprehensive hospital-wide modeling and user-friendliness for non-expert decision-makers.
- Inefficient planning leads to increased costs, reduced patient outcomes, and staff burnout.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a user-friendly decision support tool (DST) for assessing intervention impacts across hospital operations.
- To provide a comprehensive modeling approach for hospital resource management and service planning.
- To empower healthcare decision-makers with data-driven insights for improved efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Utilized discrete event simulation modeling encompassing hospital specialties and interconnections.
- Incorporated a dataset of 360 input parameters and statistical distributions for holistic operational understanding.
- Developed a user-friendly interface for service managers, clinicians, and management.
Main Results:
- The DST generated diverse outputs including activity levels, bed/clinic requirements, theatre utilization, and financial implications.
- Simulated scenarios from 2023-2027 informed strategic planning.
- Implementation of a virtual ward reduced patient backlogs and resource strain from 113% to 80%.
Conclusions:
- The developed DST offers a user-friendly, comprehensive approach to hospital operations modeling.
- Informed decision-making through the DST enhances patient outcomes and optimizes resource utilization.
- This tool can revitalize hospital operations, improving overall efficiency and effectiveness.
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