OPTIMISING PATIENTS FLOW AND RESOURCES UTILISATION IN THE OUT-PATIENT DEPARTMENT OF A PUBLIC HOSPITAL A CASE STUDY OF YUSUF DANTSOHO MEMORIAL HOPITAL KADUNA

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Department of Engineering

ABSTRACT
Queuing theory as a tool for optimising patients flow and resources utilisation in the female section of the OPD at Yusuf Dantsoho memorial hospital Kaduna, the study was conducted for a period of 5 days. Simple queuing theory calculations were done using the data collected in the evaluation of the performance characteristics of the system, i.e. the average utilisation of the servers, the probability that the system would be idle, the average number of patients in the queue and the average time a patient spends in the system. These parameters are used by hospital managers in making better decisions as it relates to the management of queues, long wait times thus resulting in overcrowding at the OPD of most public hospitals, from the study it was established that the average arrival rate equal 34.4998 patients/hour which is greater than the mean service rate (mu) = 18.0867 patients/hour at the records section and 14.5226 patients/hour at the consultation unit, this accounted for the high utilisation at the servers thus leading long queues and subsequently long wait times at the OPD. QM software for windows was used to model 5 cases using a server capacity of 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 doctors at post in the female section of the OPD and it was established that for optimum performance 5 doctors need to be available for service at the OPD at a time as compared to an average of 3 doctors which is presently obtainable at the female section of the OPD during the study.