Application of Discrete-Event Simulation in Health Care: a Review

The acceptance of applying process simulation in health care has significantly increased during the last decade, leading to an increase of publication in this area. Health care managers and researchers that are attracted by the idea of applying simulation in their field, desire to view methodologies and results of different simulation projects, yet may be overstrained by the large volume of the diverse literature. Thus, this paper, structured as a quick reference guide, presents a comprehensive review of process simulation applications in healthcare areas, which summarises projects applied in health care facilities like hospitals, emergency departments, intensive care units, surgical procedures, outpatient clinics, and facilities allocated in the health care supply chain. Additionally the provision of health in economic simulation models is covered within this review. Seventy articles are reviewed covering a range of the last decade that present the potential of simulation as a strategic competitive tool for decision makers in the aforementioned areas. Challenges to implement simulation results into existing systems are also discussed.