Object oriented framework for healthcare simulation

Healthcare is a highly interconnected dynamic environment where multiple combinations of individuals and teams come together to serve patients. Because of the interconnections in the healthcare system, a multi-facility, flexible simulation modeling methodology is desirable, where the modeling boundaries are flexible enough to capture the complex interactions between service centers. This paper presents a flexible framework for multi-facility simulation using an object-oriented simulation paradigm specifically designed for health care services. To test the framework's capabilities, a multi-facility simulation model of the patient flow at a University Student Healthcare Clinic (SHC) was implemented using this proposed framework and standard out-of-the box methods. Based on this modeling and implementation experience, the authors reflect on the utility of a healthcare oriented framework versus standard out-of-the-box simulation tools for healthcare simulation projects.