An Agent-Based Modelling Tool (ABMT) for scheduling diagnostic imaging machines

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Eagen, Brendan^a | Caron, Richard^{b; *} | Abdul-Kader, Walid^c

Affiliations: [a] Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada | [b] Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada | [c] Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Richard Caron, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada, N9B 3P4. E-mail: rcaron@uwindsor.ca.

Abstract: We present an Agent-Based Modelling Tool (ABMT) for scheduling patients at a diagnostic imaging facility. The ABMT accommodates multiple diagnostic imaging devices, a variety of patient classes, and an uneven distribution of server availability. The tool was tested using data and expertise from a hospital in Ontario, Canada. We show that the tool was able to identify a previously undetected increase in patient arrivals, establishing its effectiveness as a management tool.

Keywords: Simulation, scheduling, diagnostic imaging, agent-based modelling, patient wait times, health care

DOI: 10.3233/THC-2010-0602

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 409-415, 2010