Simulation modeling for hospital emergency department resource analysis

Hospital Emergency Departments are forced to operate under many unknown conditions. Therefore, determining the appropriate staffing requirements of an emergency department can be a difficult task. The objective herein is to develop a procedure for assembling a simulation model, to be used as a tool for determining adequate resource requirements for various situations encountered in an emergency department of a hospital. The model will consider variables such as patient arrival rates, types of injuries, duration of treatment for each specific injury, available resources, etc. It is expected that the use of such a model will help emergency department managers plan for adequate resources to meet the needs of the community being served.