Validación de una metodología para la optimización de la capacidad instalada en servicios de salud mediante simulación de eventos discretos

Abstract

Worldwide, health systems face a major challenge: providing care to more people with limited resources. Long queues, lack of space or staff, and prolonged waiting times are clear signs that something needs improvement. To achieve this, it’s essential to understand and optimize what is known as installed capacity, that is, everything a hospital or healthcare facility has available to efficiently serve patients: beds, staff, equipment, rooms, etc.
This research project explores a highly effective tool to accomplish this: discrete event simulation. Although it may sound complex, it is a technique that enables creating digital models of hospital operations, similar to a video game, where one can observe patient movements, staff activities, and what happens when conditions change.
Thanks to this simulation, different scenarios can be tested without affecting real-world patient care: What would happen if the number of nurses increased? What if the rooms were reorganized? Thus, better decisions can be made before implementing costly or risky changes.
The research includes a review of recent studies published in high-level scientific journals, reinforcing the usefulness of this technique. Findings demonstrate that simulation is a powerful tool for planning, identifying issues, and proposing improvements in healthcare services, benefiting both patients and medical staff.