Abstract

The proposed research would help any architect/owner decide the number of rooms/ cubicles for each sub-department of the ED, as well as have an estimated price for the ED, in order to optimally serve patients entering the ED with a known arrival rate. A thorough literature review was undertaken to collect data concerning the application of decision support tools for minimizing patient waiting times and maximizing the utilization rate in health care systems. Interviews were made with hospital managers in order to verify process flow, waiting times, activity durations, and resources. In addition, several floor plans of EDs have been studied in order to assure the logical flow of the process. Based on the data collected and the several verifications, a discrete event simulation model was developed using ARENA software. This simulation model was then verified by building a similar model on different software, which was AnyLogic. The results proved the accuracy of the model. Twenty additional simulation runs were performed to be used for the regression analysis. The equations resulted from the regression analysis were used for the optimization model. A genetic algorithm was used for the purpose of obtaining optimized resource allocation for different arrival rates within a constrained budget, area, and patient waiting time in the system.

Degree Name

MS in Construction Engineering

Graduation Date

2-1-2012

Submission Date

February 2012

First Advisor

Sherif, Ahmed

Second Advisor

ssar, Khaled

Extent

NA

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Hospitals -- Emergency services -- Design and construction.

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

Comments

I would like to thank all those who have helped me during the course of my study. I would first of all like to thank my advisors Dr. Ahmed Sherif and Dr. Khaled ssar; their immense knowledge in hospital design and in simulation broadened my horizon and formed the backbone on which I built the research. I am very grateful to Dr. Osama Hosny who has been an inspiration to this research; the classes he taught guided me through this research, and the time he spent giving me advice was priceless. Appreciation and thanks are due to Ms. Mar Zaki for her support throughout admission, registration and graduation. Words are not enough to express my gratitude to Michael Azer, my husband, who has encouraged me a lot and helped me develop the Excel model used in this research. I am indebted to my family who have brought me up in a loving atmosphere, and implanted in me the understanding of the value of knowledge. My father Wanis Tadros, my mother Violet Boules, and my sister Trevee, saved no effort to support me and to surround me with love, care and encouragement. Filly, I would like to thank all those who helped complete this milestone in my academic path. I believe there are many more that deserve to be acknowledged. I am blessed to be surrounded with such supporting mentors, family, and friends.

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