A System Dynamics Model to Understand the Effects of Returning Patients Toward Emergency Department Density
Norazura Ahmad1, Jafri Zulkepli2, Razamin Ramli3, Noraida Abdul Ghani4, Aik Howe Teo5
1Norazura Ahmad, School of Quantitative Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
2Jafri Zulkepl, School of Quantitative Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
3Razamin Ramli, School of Quantitative Sciences, University Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
4Noraida Abdul Ghani, School of Distance Education, University Sains Malaysia, University of Southern Mississippi, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
5Aik Howe Teo, Hospital Pulau Pinang, Jalan Residensi, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Manuscript received on 03 February 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 10 February 2019 | Manuscript Published on 22 March 2019 | PP: 48-52 | Volume-8 Issue-5S April 2019 | Retrieval Number: ES3392018319/19©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: As an integrated unit in the hospital, emergency department (ED) also depends on other unit like labs and wards. Due to this relationship, sometimes problems in ED not only originated from the department itself, but may also come from other units. The complex interactions of patients and resources in the ED are no longer just about clinical and medical issues, but the efficient health delivery and resource management is actually an engineering problem. One possible engineering tool to understand the complex behaviour of the health care system is using computer simulation modelling. This paper presents the development of a system dynamics (SD) simulation model to understand the effect of retreated patients to the ED. SD is used to model the complexity of many relationships in ED admission. The base case result shows that ED admission is also influenced by readmission resulted from non-recovery level after discharged from hospital.
Keywords: Emergency Department; Returning Patients; Stock Flow Models.
Scope of the Article: Social Sciences