%0 Journal Article
%T Modeling Hospital Patient Flow as an Interconnected Compartmental System: Equilibrium and Stability Analysis
%A David Miller
%A Eric Johnson
%A Matthew Clark
%A Steven Anderson
%J Interdisciplinary Research in Medical Sciences Specialty
%@ 3062-4401
%D 2021
%V 1
%N 1
%R 10.51847/oaa1Oz7Voc
%P 62-78
%X Efficiently directing patient movement within hospitals is essential for delivering effective secondary care. By treating a hospital as a set of linked compartments through which patients transition, we formulate equations that describe these flows as a network of interdependent dynamic processes. Many influences shape these interactions—some identifiable, many interacting in complex ways. Unlike discrete-event or agent-based methods, this approach does not require detailed knowledge of every underlying factor; instead, it focuses on the overall transfers between units, consistent with a system-dynamics framework. Using this perspective, we identify two equilibrium conditions: a trivial state in which no patients are present, and a non-trivial state representing ongoing activity. We intend to analyse bed-occupancy data from a UK hospital to test the validity of this approach and evaluate how widely it can be applied.
%U https://galaxypub.co/article/modeling-hospital-patient-flow-as-an-interconnected-compartmental-system-equilibrium-and-stability-tssr52otlf6jutf