Analysis by simulation of process improvement at the entrance of a primary care unit
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26512/gs.v12i01.32821Keywords:
Primary Health Care, Computer Simulation, Supply & distribution, Statistical Analysis, Health Services AccessibilityAbstract
This article analyses a process redesign proposal at the entrance to a primary care unit in Rio de Janeiro city. The main redesign is the unification of queues, instead of having users redirected to a specific queue according to their primary care team. Data collected in field visits were used to build a simulation model. Impacts were analyzed regarding the average waiting time in queue, the average size of queues, and the occupation rate of the reception counters. Results indicate a drop in 89,9% of the average waiting time in queue, from 465,5 seconds to 47,2 seconds. The average size of queues was, correspondently, reduced from 0,9 users to 0,6. Also, the average occupation rate of counters was raised from 56,9% to 67,4%, raising productivity without overloading workers. Future studies could explore the consequences of relaxing restrictions on the premises of the model and the replicability of the results on similar healthcare units.
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