Understanding the Impacts of Nurse to Patient Assignments in a Multidisciplinary Infusion Clinic Using a Simulation-Based Optimization Model: Abstract ID: 789797

摘要

A simulation-based optimization model was developed to understand the current utilization of Registered Nurses (RNs) who care for the patients. Observations and time studies were conducted in the current state system to understand the flows of staff and patients. Finally, different methods of assigning staff to patients were tested through sensitivity analysis to determine the best strategy for balancing the utilization of the nurses. After balancing the utilization of the nurses, the simulation was then used to understand what constraints were present in the current system. Another part of this research was an analysis of team-based nursing. The results of this thesis showed that the most optimal strategy for assigning patients to RNs is to categorize the patients based on specialty and length of service. Another finding from this thesis was that the main constraint on the system was the capacity. Finally, the results from the team-based nursing assignments showed a decrease in the total clinic hours but did not show an optimal solution for the balancing of the RN utilization in the system, however, each scenario has its own pros and cons.