Title: Managing arrival variability in healthcare services: case of an out-patient department

Authors: Piyush Gupta; Piyush Pranjal; Amit Sachan; Punam Prasad

Addresses: Fortune Institute of International Business, Plot No. 5, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Opposite Army R&R Hospital, Vasant Vihar-110057, New Delhi, India; Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, 5th Floor Suchana Bhawan, Meur's Road, Audrey House Campus, Ranchi – 834008, Jharkhand, India ' O. P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat – 131001, Haryana, India ' Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, 5th Floor Suchana Bhawan, Meur's Road, Audrey House Campus, Ranchi - 834008, Jharkhand, India ' T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), P.B. No. 9, Manipal – 576104, Karnataka, India

Abstract: Similar to other services, healthcare is also experiencing an evolution of patients into sophisticated customers with high expectations from the service providers. This has led to the application of operations research tools such as discrete event simulation modelling in delivering improved healthcare services. The present study is conducted in an obstetrics and gynaecology out-patient department of a multi-specialty hospital. Process related data is collected from the department and is used to build a discrete event simulation model. Scenarios are developed considering strategies suggested in literature to manage arrival variability, the most crucial form of customer-induced variability. Based on the results obtained, the most optimal solution is highlighted. This study shows that with recent research advancements in simulation modelling, scepticism towards methods adopted from other sectors can be reduced which is beneficial for both, the modern-day healthcare service provider and the patients.

Keywords: arrival variability; healthcare services; discrete event simulation modelling; DESM; key performance indicators; KPIs; out-patient department.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2021.118380

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2021 Vol.34 No.2, pp.135 - 157

Received: 26 Aug 2019
Accepted: 08 Feb 2020
Published online: 25 Oct 2021 *

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