RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Multi-Type Queuing Network Analysis Method for Controlling Server Number in the Outpatient

ABSTRACT

Patients long time waiting is the most significant problem in Chinese outpatient, and the inadequate service level, as one of main factors, causes the medical error and outpatient overcrowding. This paper derives a multi-type queuing network model to help managers increase service efficiency and improve patient satisfaction based on Chinese current outpatient condition. One of this model’s characteristics is capturing different patient types who pass through the system in different service routes. The other unique thing is taking the outpatient service process as a whole queuing network with multi-type patients, not a simple tandem queuing network. Only by the external arrival rate, the arrival rate of each service node can be calculated in order to obtain the system operation indicators including server utilization, waiting time and patient number in queue and system as the service targets, in this way, the hospital manager can clarify the current outpatient operation and promote the situation by modifying the server number. Results from one actual case are used to demonstrate the methodology. This multi-type queuing network analysis method can assist to organize the server resource more effectively in the status of limited resource and excessive demand, and can be an important innovation in hospital management.

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