Input modeling for hospital simulation models using electronic messages

Health care organizations function in a complex, non-integrated setting, yet the coordination of information, tasks, and equipment across multiple units is essential for productive operations. A variety of simulation models of hospitals exist; however, few reflect resource sharing across multiple departments. Furthermore few models capture the inherent heterogeneity of a hospital's patient mix which plays a crucial role in determining how care is delivered and resources allocated. Patient flow paths can be used as input data to provide systematic insight into resource allocation processes and medical care within a hospital. To date, flow path approaches to studying hospital operations have been hindered by lack of a comprehensive data source. This tutorial describes how electronic communication exchanges between hospital departments are used to create an input model for hospital simulations.