Computer simulation of a family practice clinic

Abstract

A simulation model of the Family Practice Clinic at Silas B. Hayes Army Hospital, Fort Ord, California, is presented. The inputs to the model are the number of doctors, number and type of support personnel, number of waiting and examination rooms assigned and available to the clinic, and the population of potential patients assigned to each doctor, categorized by sex and age. The outputs of the model are the percentage utilization of doctors, support personnel, waiting and examination rooms, and the distribution of various waiting times for those being served by the clinic. The purpose of the model is to permit hospital administrators to estimate the optimal number of families to assign each doctor in a Family Practice Clinic, and to estimate the support personnel and physical space required to effectively operate the clinic.