Hospital Emergency Room Case Study

QUESTION 1: A hospital emergency room averages 50 patients per shift. A shift is 8 hours long, and the average patient requires 20 minutes in the exam room.

a. A hospital emergency room averages 50 patients per shift. A shift is 8 hours long, and the average patient requires 20 minutes in the exam room.

Solution:

M=DP /N [1-(c/100)]

M = Number of exam rooms, D = demand per shift, p = time a patient requires in the exam room, N = Total operating time per shift and C = Desired capacity cushion (expressed in %) in our case D=50patients, P=20minutes, N=8hrs, C=30%

M= (50*20/60)/{8[1-30/100)=16.6667/5.6=2.9762

Hence the number of exam rooms should be 3exam rooms.

b. Discuss whether you think a 30 percent capacity cushion is appropriate for hospital emergency room. What factors would you consider

The following are the factors to consider when setting a capacity cushion:

• Location of the hospital where the hospital is located is a key factor to consider when setting the cushion since it will determine the number of patients likely to visit every for example we can expect fewer patients in the rural/ local areas as compared to the urban areas.

• Facility factors the size of the hospital and the provisions in place for expansion are important to review when setting the cushion since this will determine the constraints when it comes to improving the capacity.

• Human Factors are also very crucial factors we cannot afford to overlook they include the tasks that are needed in certain jobs, the activities involved, training, skills, and experiences required to perform specific jobs that affect the potential and actual output. Among the factors to consider here is employee absenteeism, motivation and labor turnover all affect the