Emergency Service Design and Management: Addressing Multi-floor Layout Challenges

Emergency departments (EDs) are essential elements of healthcare institutions that offer patients in desperate need of care that can save their lives. However, the administration and design of EDs can be challenging, especially in multi-floor complexes where special problems occur. The unpredictable character of patient flows in multi-floor emergency department layouts (EDL) is successfully addressed by our suggested robust optimization technique, which combines simulation and mathematical programming. The patient arrivals’ unexpected elements, such as volume and acuity levels, which can differ substantially in multi-floor ED layouts, are considered by the model. By combining mathematical programming and simulation, our approach aims to determine the optimal EDL arrangement that is stable and efficient in various scenarios. This includes accounting for the challenges of EDL configuration across multiple floors, where coordination of patient flows, resource allocation, and space utilization can be particularly complex. Our proposed approach has the potential to enhance the operational efficiency and patient care in multi-floor emergency departments facing challenges of stochastic patient flows.