Special Facilities — Size and Scheduling

Abstract

Problems concerning, the optimal number and scheduling of beds deal with only one of the many identifiable resources of a hospital or other health facility. Similar problems can also be addressed in considering operating and recovery rooms, maternity suites, laboratories, radiology units, etc. in the hospital, and dental operatories, examining rooms, etc. in free standing clinics or private medical practices. There is the difficulty of predicting demand, as considered in an earlier section (e.g., ABRANOVIC AND WALLACE (1971), DAVIES ET AL. (1975)). Nevertheless, given such prediction, the proper size and management of the subfacility still need to be determined. It should be noted that the two sections following this one are concerned with staffing, including that of these “special facilities.”