Logistics Performances of Healthcare System Using Queue Analysis, Focusing on Patient Flow: The Case of St. Paul’s Hospital, Ethiopia
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Date
2020-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the performance of patient flow at the healthcare system in
Ethiopia by taking St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), as a case study. As
there is a very high demand for health service that exceeds the available capacity, the public
healthcare centers are overwhelmed with the long queues or they are delivering the service with
relatively very low consultation time. In the existing conditions, patients go as early as they can to
the healthcare facilities, waiting in queue, even before the opening and had to wait long time for
examination, consultation and diagnosis. However, due to high number of patients at the outpatient
departments relative to the number of physicians, it results in an increased workload on the physicians
and it shortens the patient consultation time, which has an impact on the patients’ health. The main
objective of this research was to study the logistic performances of the healthcare system using
queuing analysis. This research used three key performance indicators namely, patient queue length,
patient waiting time and consultation time length. The performance evaluation was conducted based
on data from patients who visited 69 clinical, surgical and diagnosis departments at the outpatient
clinics of the hospital. Queue analysis was performed to determine the operational characteristics
using a queue scenario with Poisson arrival, exponential service, infinite population, First Comes
First Served (FCFS) discipline and multiple server arrangement. The study showed that the patients’
arrival rate highly exceeded the service rate, in each respective clinical department. The outpatient
clinics at the SPHMMC achieved an average total waiting time of 92 minutes to get consultation and
nearly 70% of the patients waited for more than 95 minutes. The consultation time was as low as 5.71
minute at the Medical clinic and 6.16 minute at the Ophthalmology clinic and around 60% of the
patients saw the doctor for a time less than 10 minutes. Therefore, this research recommends
addressing the gaps in human resources and logistical supplies, to implement and enforce a staggered
patient scheduling and appointment system and to have serious intervention and control on the dual
practice, to ensure a smooth clinic process and to reduce waiting times. This study was conducted to assess the performance of patient flow at the healthcare system in
Ethiopia by taking St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), as a case study. As
there is a very high demand for health service that exceeds the available capacity, the public
healthcare centers are overwhelmed with the long queues or they are delivering the service with
relatively very low consultation time. In the existing conditions, patients go as early as they can to
the healthcare facilities, waiting in queue, even before the opening and had to wait long time for
examination, consultation and diagnosis. However, due to high number of patients at the outpatient
departments relative to the number of physicians, it results in an increased workload on the physicians
and it shortens the patient consultation time, which has an impact on the patients’ health. The main
objective of this research was to study the logistic performances of the healthcare system using
queuing analysis. This research used three key performance indicators namely, patient queue length,
patient waiting time and consultation time length. The performance evaluation was conducted based
on data from patients who visited 69 clinical, surgical and diagnosis departments at the outpatient
clinics of the hospital. Queue analysis was performed to determine the operational characteristics
using a queue scenario with Poisson arrival, exponential service, infinite population, First Comes
First Served (FCFS) discipline and multiple server arrangement. The study showed that the patients’
arrival rate highly exceeded the service rate, in each respective clinical department. The outpatient
clinics at the SPHMMC achieved an average total waiting time of 92 minutes to get consultation and
nearly 70% of the patients waited for more than 95 minutes. The consultation time was as low as 5.71
minute at the Medical clinic and 6.16 minute at the Ophthalmology clinic and around 60% of the
patients saw the doctor for a time less than 10 minutes. Therefore, this research recommends
addressing the gaps in human resources and logistical supplies, to implement and enforce a staggered
patient scheduling and appointment system and to have serious intervention and control on the dual
practice, to ensure a smooth clinic process and to reduce waiting times.
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Keywords
Consultation Time, Healthcare Logistics, Outpatient, Queuing Theory, Waiting Time