Evaluation and Selection of Hospital Layout Based on an Integrated Simulation Method

Abstract

Space planning and management, as an important part of facility management in the hospital context, is closely related to patient flow and patient behavior. The lack of consideration of such interdependencies would complicate movement patterns of end-users during consultation and treatment process, and as a result, reduce the hospital operational efficiency. To facilitate better space planning and management in hospitals, this study integrates discrete-event simulation and agent-based simulation to examine and evaluate different layout designs. The constructed simulation models take into account the patient flow and patient behavior. At the same time, on-site surveying and monitoring data as well as realistic medical information are used as inputs for the simulation model. Simulation results including patient lead time and facility utilization were used for hospital layout selection. This research provides a new approach to layout design selection and contributes to more effective and efficient space planning and management in healthcare facility.