Stochastic resource allocation in emergency departments with a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm.

The number of emergency cases or emergency room visits rapidly increases annually, thus leading to an imbalance in supply and demand and to the long-term overcrowding of hospital emergency departments (EDs). However, current solutions to increase medical resources and improve the handling of patient needs are either impractical or infeasible in the Taiwanese environment. Therefore, EDs must optimize resource allocation given limited medical resources to minimize the average length of stay of patients and medical resource waste costs.

Acute perforated appendicitis with leukopenic presentation.

Most patients with appendicitis had elevated white blood cell count. It is rarely seen with leukopenic presentation in acute appendicitis. Physicians in the emergency department easily miss these cases that had normal white blood cell count and leukopenic presentation.