A Generalized Symbiotic Simulation Model of an Emergency Department for Real-Time Operational Decision-Making.

We describe the design of a generalizable simulation model of an emergency department (ED) that forms part of a symbiotic simulation tool designed to improve short-term decision-making. While the paper will give an overview of the planned symbiotic simulation tool, our focus here is on the generalizability of the simulation model. The model is coded such that the routing logic of patient pathways are not explicitly defined but are instead included as an input parameter. By structuring the model this way, the pathways can instead be discovered through process mining methods on standard healthcare transactions data. This enables the simulation model to be applied to other EDs without redesigning all of the logical flows within the model. As symbiotic simulation tools are designed for ongoing use within the system they model, utilizing process mining also allows for automating recalibration of the patient pathways if changes occur in the physical system.