Use of simulation to solve outpatient clinic problems: A review of the literature

• Published in: South African journal of industrial engineering Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 27 - 47
• Main Authors: Hong, Tang Sai, Shang, Pah Pin, Arumugam, Manohar, Yusuff, Rosnah Mohd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bedfordview South African Institute for Industrial Engineering 01-11-2013; The Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering; Stellenbosch University
• Subjects: Clinics; Departments; Engineering, Industrial; Hospitals; Integrated approach; Neural networks; outpatient clinic; Patient satisfaction; Patients; Population; Preventive medicine; Primary care; resource allocation; review; scheduling; Simulation
• ISSN: 2224-7890; 1012-277X; 2224-7890
• DOI: 10.7166/24-3-551

The increasing demand for outpatient services has led to overcrowded clinics, long waiting times for patients, and extended staffworking hours in outpatient clinics. Simulation tools have been used to ameliorate deficiencies in the appointment system, resource allocation, and patient flow management that are the root causes of these problems. Integrated studies that considered these three factors together produced better results than attempts to resolve individual causes. While simulation has proved to be an effective problem-solving tool for outpatient clinic management, there is still room for improvement. This paper reviews studies over the past 50 years that have applied management simulation to resolve outpatient clinic problems. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]