Laboratory Simulator - A Study of Laboratory Activities by a Simulation Method

A simulator has been designed for study of the activities in a hospital laboratory, the intention being that of producing a model which could be adapted to laboratories other than the one in which it was developed, by virtue of its being as generalized as possible. Consequently, only the basic pattern of work in the laboratory was included in the fixed simulator program, whereas details varying from one simtilated situation to another were left for use as »source data« for each separate simulation run.

The simulation program was written in the simidation language General Purpose Systems Simulator (GPSS) and runs on an IBM 7090 computer.

The functional basic unit for the simulator is a »transaction«, which moves in the model, and with functions that correspond to the specimen’s route in the laboratory. Each transaction is provided with parameters (data) which determine its functions and course within the model.

The validity of the program was tested by means of a simulation of an average working day, and the results were compared with the real situation. Following this, several tests were made, with examination of the way in which changes in the number of laboratory technicians and in the work load affected laboratory activities.

With the simulation method, the following aims are achievable:

— rationalization of laboratory activities,

— rational expansion of laboratory facilities,

— planning of personnel, equipment and working space for a new laboratory,

— comparison of the economic efficiency of different laboratories.

The Finnish Hospital League has initiated an attempt to use the model presented in the planning of laboratories for Health Centres called for by the recently renewed legislation for Public Health in Finland.

Zum Zwecke der Untersuchung der Aktivitäten des Krankenhauslaboratoriums wurde ein Laborsimulator konstruiert in der Absicht, das Simulationsprogramm so generell zu halten, daß das Modell auch für Laboratorien anderer Art anwendbar ist. Darum wurden in das Basisprogramm des Simulators nur die wesentlichen Grundzüge der Labortätigkeit aufgenommen, während die von der einen simulierten Situation zur anderen wechselnden Details als »Ausgangsdaten« in getrennten Simulationsläufen untersucht wurden.

Das Simulationsprogramm wurde in der Simulationssprache GPSS (General Purpose Systems Simulator) geschrieben und läuft auf einer IBM 7090.

Die funktionelle Grundeinheit des Simulationsprogramms ist die sog. »Transaktion«, die in dem Modell durchgeführt wird und deren Funktion der Probenroutine im Labor entspricht. Für jede Transaktion stehen Parameter (Daten) zur Verfügung, die deren Funktionen und Ablauf bestimmen.

Die Validität des Programms wurde durch Simulation eines gewöhnlichen Werktages getestet; die Resultate wurden mit der wirklichen Situation verglichen. Anschließend wurden mehrere Tests durchgeführt, in denen die Wirkung von Veränderungen in der Anzahl der technischen Assistenten und der Arbeitsbelastung auf die Leistungen des Laboratoriums untersucht wurde.

Mit der Simulationsmetliode können folgende Ziele erreicht werden:

— Rationalisierung der Labortätigkeit,

— sinnvolle Erweiterung des Arbeitsprogramms des Laboratoriums,

— Planung der personellen, apparativen und räumlichen Ausstattung für neue Laboratorien,

— Vergleich der ökonomischen Effektivität verschiedener Laboratorien.

Der Finnische Krankenhausverband erprobt derzeit das hier vorgeführte Simulationsmodell bei der Planung von Laboratorien für Gesundheitszentren, die nachdem kürzlich erneuerten Volksgesundlieitsgesetz einzurichten sind.

Key-Words

Laboratory Simulator - Simulation Model - Planning of Laboratory Data Processing

Schlüssel-Wörter

Laborsimulator - Simulations -Modell - Planung der Labordaten-Verarbeitung

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