Application of Queuing Model to Patient Flow in Emergency Department. Case Study

Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding represents a common characteristic that may affect the quality and access to health care. Analyzing the ED presentations during the last few years we have observed a constant increasing of presentation numbers. For each ED it is a challenge to decrease the patients’ waiting time, to provide timely care and to improve the patient's satisfaction. Long waiting times is the most important complaint in patient's satisfaction surveys. We have evaluated 2195 questionnaires for a period of three years (2010-2012). The general satisfaction rate is 84, 63% and the most frequent complaints are about the waiting time which is too long, the waiting room which is small and the personnel which is insufficient. To manage these situations in a proper way we proposed, for our analysis, to use queuing models which can provide reasonably accurate evaluations of our system's performance. The data used in the case study includes detailed information's over the period January 1 - December 31, 2012, when totally 51.458 patients were registered. The results of this study can help us to understand the magnitude of the broader problem, the relationship between resources and waiting times, and to provide a method for understanding and monitoring performance, to find solutions for a better understanding and for alleviating the daily crisis.