Open AccessMathematical Modelling of Inpatient Flow and Bed Allocation in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital
Author(s) -
Taiwo Ogunlade,
SA Olorunsola,
R. A. Adeleke,
O. R. Akindutire,
Joshua O. Okoro
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/1107/1/012129
Subject(s) - queue , queueing theory , erlang (programming language) , flow (mathematics) , tertiary care , computer science , hospital bed , operations management , medicine , emergency medicine , operations research , mathematics , computer network , engineering , mechanics , nursing , physics , functional programming , theoretical computer science
Unnecessary delay on queues at hospitals and lack of access to care are associated to loss of lives. In this study we analyze the flow of inpatients in order to find out the appropriate number of beds needed to realize a smooth flow at points where congestion existed in a Nigerian university teaching hospital. Basic hospital statistics, like percentage occupancy, bed turnover rate, etc., are computed and we use queuing model to analyze patient flow and allocation of beds and demonstrate that patient flow in the hospital can be modeled using Erlang loss model.