TY - JOUR
T1 - Implementing complex task allocation in a cytology lab via HCCM using Flexsim HC
AU - Pongjetanapong, Kanokporn
AU - O'Sullivan, Michael
AU - Walker, Cameron
AU - Furian, Nikolaus
PY - 2018/8/1
Y1 - 2018/8/1
N2 - Healthcare processes contain various complexities which make them difficult to model. These include: multiple-participant activities with flexible resourcing; dynamic task priorities; hierarchical skill levels of resources; and regular task pre-emption. Deciding which task in a care pathway a clinician next performs directly impacts on the performance of the healthcare process. The Hierarchical Control Conceptual Modeling (HCCM) approach has recently been proposed by Furian et al. [1] to provide a conceptual modelling framework purpose-built to explicitly model the decision-making structure in complex systems. Existing software packages for Discrete Event Simulation (DES) have been designed for conceptual models that consist of systems of queues. In particular, the lack of a module specifically designed to account for HCCM's control structure makes the implementation of a HCCM conceptual model in an off-the-shelf simulation package problematic. This research applies the HCCM framework to a real-world Cytology lab (with complex decision making for task allocations) and demonstrates how the resultant conceptual model can be implemented within an off-the-shelf healthcare simulation package (Flexsim HC). The primary goal is a proof-of-concept that the control mechanism, particular to the HCCM framework, can be implemented using such a simulation package.
AB - Healthcare processes contain various complexities which make them difficult to model. These include: multiple-participant activities with flexible resourcing; dynamic task priorities; hierarchical skill levels of resources; and regular task pre-emption. Deciding which task in a care pathway a clinician next performs directly impacts on the performance of the healthcare process. The Hierarchical Control Conceptual Modeling (HCCM) approach has recently been proposed by Furian et al. [1] to provide a conceptual modelling framework purpose-built to explicitly model the decision-making structure in complex systems. Existing software packages for Discrete Event Simulation (DES) have been designed for conceptual models that consist of systems of queues. In particular, the lack of a module specifically designed to account for HCCM's control structure makes the implementation of a HCCM conceptual model in an off-the-shelf simulation package problematic. This research applies the HCCM framework to a real-world Cytology lab (with complex decision making for task allocations) and demonstrates how the resultant conceptual model can be implemented within an off-the-shelf healthcare simulation package (Flexsim HC). The primary goal is a proof-of-concept that the control mechanism, particular to the HCCM framework, can be implemented using such a simulation package.
KW - Conceptual modelling
KW - Cytology
KW - Discrete-event simulation
KW - Workflow
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047237762&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.simpat.2018.05.007
DO - 10.1016/j.simpat.2018.05.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85047237762
SN - 1569-190X
VL - 86
SP - 139
EP - 154
JO - Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory
JF - Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory
ER -