ABSTRACT
Objective To apply computer simulation technology for simulating the emergency medical rescue of different conditions and optimizing the rescue strategy and resource allocation. Methods Firstly, according to the characteristics of the arrival of the wounded and the state of injury, four alternative strategies were formulated and simulated. Secondly, the optimal strategy was determined by waiting time of the wounded and the working intensities of rescue unit. Finally, the reasonable suggestions for the rescue strategy and rescue force allocation were put forward by simulation analysis of the relationship between the arrival rate of wounded and the number of rescue units. Results First-leave-first-served and the select-units strategy could effectively reduce the waiting time of the wounded and the working intensity of the rescue unit. When the arrival rate of class A(B) of the wounded increased, the total number of rescue units increased at the same time under the premise of meeting the requirements of the medical rescue, with the number of A(B) rescue units increasing more rapidly. Conclusion By simulating the emergency medical rescue process using different strategies, the optimal rescue strategy can be determined; the number of the rescue units is closely related to the arrival rate of the wounded; estimating the arrival rate of the wounded and the average treatment time can provide reference for rescue force allocation.
ABSTRACT
Objective To design an emergency medical rescue-simulation system,and to provide reference for optimizing rescue strategy and medical resource allocation by simulating different rescue conditions. Methods Firstly，Stateflow was used to build the main simulation unit，which included arrival of the wounded, classification of the wounded (emergent [type A] and non-emergent [type B])，and medical treatment modules， and then the related event and response function were appended. Secondly，the system parameter input unit and character display unit were set up in Simulmk. Finally two different medical treatment strategies (strategy 1:type B wounded waiting for treatment in the rescue module with least waiting patients strategy 2 :type B wounded waiting for treatment in the rescue module with least workload) were simulated and the corresponding rescue strategies were analyzed. Results The system could simulate the medical rescue process of different strategies. The type A wounded could be rescued in a timely manner in both strategies. Type B wounded had a shorter waiting time in strategy 1，but the rescuers had a heavy work load; while they had a longer waiting time in strategy 2，and the rescuers had a lighter work load. Conclusion We have successfully designed a simulation system for emergency medical rescue and its feasibility and effectiveness are verified. Different rescue strategies have their respective advantages and disadvantages in the waiting time and work load, and the two strategies can be combined in practice in order to achieve a dynamic balance between the waiting time of the wounded and the work load of the rescuers.