The goal of this simulation study is to analyse the average time patients spend:

1. waiting for treatment; and
2. in the clinic;

and the average length of the patient queue (which informs waiting room size). This analysis will include a comparison of the walk-up vs scheduled patients.

1. Background – problem description
2. Objectives of the study
3. Expected benefits
4. The CM: inputs, outputs, content, assumptions, simplifications’
5. Experiments to run

Components 1(Background – problem description) and 2 (Objectives of the study) are given in the Problem Description section (see paragraph describing the goal of the simulation study to identify study objectives).

The Expected benefits (component 3) are a virtual environment for evaluating patient waiting times, total time patients spend in the clinic, and the number of patients waiting for treatment. This environment can be used to experiment with changes to the clinic, including a comparison of effects on the waiting times, queue length, etc for the walk-up vs the scheduled patients.

The CM content is specified using the following components:

1. Component List
2. Process flow diagram
3. Logic flow diagram
4. Activity cycle diagram

Component List

The components of the Simple Health Clinic model are:

• Walk-up patients with their (inter)arrival times
• Scheduled patients with their appointment times
• Doctors with their treatment times
• Waiting room with its capacity

Process Flow Diagram

Patient Logic Flow Diagram		Doctor Logic Flow Diagrams

Activity Cycle Diagram

Once the content has been established (note this is usually an iterative process) we can identify the inputs and outputs: appointment times, interarrival times, treatment times, waiting times (Patient arrives to Doctor sees patient), total clinic time (Patient arrives to Outside), number in waiting room.

Assumptions are used to define stochasticity (e.g., Exponential interarrivals, Triangular treatment times) and the simplifications keep the system simple (e.g., one doctor on all day, no registration, no prioritisation).

Rename the PatientGenerator object PatientWalkup. Now add a second EntityGenerator (ProcessFlow > EntityGenerator) and name it PatientAppointment. You can position it at 1 -0.5 0 m (Input Editor > Graphics > Position). Add an EventSchedule object (BasicObjects > EventSchedule) at 1 -1.5 0 m and name it AppointmentTimes.

Note To move objects within the View1 window with the mouse, hold down Ctrl and click on the object with the left mouse button. Keep the mouse button down when moving the object around.

Save your simulation.

Now add a second doctor (Process Flow > Server) at 3.5 -0.5 0 m, name it Doctor2 and give it the doctor2.png (icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com).