Reducing Patient Delays in a Day Surgery Unit of a Hospital

Abstract

In this article, we illustrate the relevance of queuing theory principles to the healthcare sector through a case study of a day surgery unit in a hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The hospital has an acknowledged problem: patients are spending longer-than-anticipated periods of time in the day surgery unit, and they are facing excessive waiting times at all stages of their healthcare delivery process. The hospital is operated on a not-forprofit basis, and the executive board members are keen to understand the root causes of the problem, so they can direct their investment in the system to improve its responsiveness.