The environment of care influences behavior, which consequently leads to events occurring (or not occurring). The way structural variables (i.e., number of rooms, staff members, technologies used) are laid out drives care processes, which in turn yields outcomes that may or may not be in line with what we strive for.

The number and layout of rooms (i.e., triage, exam, operating), for example, will determine the quality of care patients receive, from safety and satisfaction to efficiency and effectiveness of care. We use tools such as discrete-event simulation (DES) modeling, for example, to help determine the optimal number of rooms that are needed to meet demand and resource constraints. We have developed simulation models for different settings, from the Emergency Department to outpatients clinics (i.e., orthopedics, pediatrics), and these have helped decision-makers in allocating scarce resources. We can also use DES to help you experiment with existing layouts as well as any future expansion activities so you can see the potential impact of changes made before they actually happen.