Discrete Event Simulation to Improve Clinical Consultations in a Rehabilitation Cardiology Unit

Abstract

In recent years there has been a progressive growth in cardiological comorbidities. In this context, cardiological consultations assume a relevant importance in healthcare settings for assessing the patient before performing clinical procedures or administering treatments. The quality in cardiological consultation lies also in timely and accurate medical visits as early diagnosis enables prompt interventions that can improve the overall patients' stay in the hospital. The reduction of the time to deliver a cardiological consultation in hospital settings is therefore an indicator of the overall quality of the consultation service. In this work, discrete event simulation was used to analyze and improve the medical consultation process in a Complex Operative Unit of Rehabilitation Cardiology. The proposed approach allowed the identification of critical issues in the consultation process and assess possible improvement actions to be implemented in order to reduce the waiting time for cardiological consultations in rehabilitation cardiology. By the adoption of discrete event simulation models, a continuous monitoring of the quality of assistance can be achieved, thus enabling improvements in the quality of care from both clinical and organizational perspective.