More from less: Study on increasing throughput of COVID-19 screening and testing facility at an apex tertiary care hospital in New Delhi using discrete-event simulation software

BACKGROUND: One of the challenges has been coping with an increasing need for COVID-19 testing. A COVID-19 screening and testing facility was created. There was a need for increasing throughput of the facility within the existing space and limited resources. Discrete event simulation was used to address this challenge. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional interventional study was done from September 2020 to October 2020. Detailed process mapping with all micro-processes was done. Patient arrival patterns and time taken at each step were measured by two independent observers at random intervals over two weeks. The existing system was simulated and a bottleneck was identified. Two possible alternatives to the problem were simulated and evaluated. RESULTS: Scenario 1 showed a maximum throughput of 316. The average milestone times of all the processes after the step of “Preparation of sampling kits” jumped 62%; from 82 to 133 min. Staff state times also showed that staff at this step was stretched and medical lab technicians were underutilized. Scenario 2 simulated the alternative with lesser time spent on sampling kit preparation with a 22.4% increase in throughput, but could have led to impaired quality check. Scenario 3 simulated with increased manpower at the stage of bottleneck with 26.5% increase in throughput and was implemented on-ground. CONCLUSION: Discrete event simulation helped to identify the bottleneck, simulate possible alternative solutions without disturbing the ongoing work, and finally choose the most suitable intervention to increase throughput, without the need for additional space allocation. It therefore helped to optimally utilize resources and get “more from less.”