Capacity planning for intensive care units

✍ Scribed by J.C. Ridge; S.K. Jones; M.S. Nielsen; A.K. Shahani

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 647 KB
• Volume: 105
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0377-2217
• DOI: 10.1016/s0377-2217(97)00240-3

✦ Synopsis

In this paper we describe a simulation model for bed capacity planning in Intensive Care. The model shows that there is a non-linear relationship between numbers of beds, mean occupancy level and the numbers of patients that have to be transferred through lack of bed space. Furthermore, there is a heavy trade off between bed occupancy and the number of transfers. The model employs a rudimentary deferral rule for the elective patients when their admission is blocked through lack of bed space; from this we conclude that there is scope for a more effective elective patient admission scheduling system. As a result of this work, a multi-disciplinary Intensive Care Modelling Task Group has been set up to guide the development of a more sophisticated model.