Simulation of Patient-Centred Scenarios for the Improvement of Transportation Service in Hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are increasingly challenged to ensure an efficient use of resources while achieving a high quality in their services that also maximizes the patients’ safety. This is especially important in the case of transportation of patients whose health conditions require the use of appropriate procedures and tools. This work employs a simulation approach to propose solutions for hospitals to improve the organization of the patient transportation service. Resulting solutions are based on the perspective of the service provider and especially driven by patients’ needs. By using the Arena software, we analysed the service model in an Italian hospital and the variations in the human, physical and intangible resources that could improve the service performance, with a focus on the operations adding value in terms of time and collaborative behaviours among patients and operators.