Using Computer Simulation for Nurse Staffing in an Outpatient Clinic

Abstract

This study attempts to assess the efficiency of using computer simulation in the outpatient consultation process in a hospital clinic. The simulation results show that there are opportunities for improvement in patient wait times in the clinic. Based on the simulation results, we recommend the optimal number of nurses at which patient wait times could be reduced and nurses could be most efficiently utilized. The study demonstrates that computer simulation can be an effective tool supporting decisions on nurse staffing in the clinic.