AI Article Synopsis
- - The study combines queuing theory and compartmental flow models to analyze how factors like admission rates, length of stay, and bed allocation affect bed occupancy rates in geriatric medicine departments.
- - By adding the concept of waiting beds, the research suggests that having unstaffed, emergency-use beds can enhance performance and reduce costs in healthcare settings.
- - Findings indicate that maintaining 10-15% bed emptiness is essential for service efficiency, and further investigation is required to validate and apply these findings in real-world scenarios.
Article Abstract
By integrating queuing theory and compartmental models of flow we demonstrate how changing admission rates, length of stay and bed allocation influence bed occupancy, emptiness and rejection in departments of geriatric medicine. By extending the model to include waiting beds, we show how the provision of extra, emergency use, unstaffed, back up beds could improve performance while controlling costs. The model is applicable to all lengths of stay, admission rates and bed allocations. The results show why 10-15% bed emptiness is necessary to maintain service efficiency and demonstrate how unstaffed beds can serve to provide a more responsive and cost effective service. Further work is needed to test the validity and applicability of the model.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/a:1020342509099 | DOI Listing |
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