QUEUING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DENTAL DEPARTMENT AT ESSIKADO HOSPITAL

Abstract

In this paper, the queuing characteristics at the dental department of Essikado Hospital in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis was analysed using a Single-server queuing Model. The data was collected over a period of one week, from 8:30am-11:30 am each day.

By using the queuing rule First-come, First-served as practiced by the case study and M/M/s queuing model, the performance measures were calculated. The average/mean arrival and mean service times were found to be 1.6 patients/hour and 4.4477 patients/hour respectively. The average number of patients in the system and in the queue was 0.5619 patients and 0.2021 patients respectively. Also, the average time spent in the system and the average time it takes for service to start was 0.3512 hours and 0.1263 hours respectively.

The paper recommends the need to obtain a central tray setup system for instruments required for the different dental procedures so as to reduce the time spent in sorting them up thereby reducing the amount of time spent in queue.  It also respectfully submits a suggestion on the need to increase the number of dentist from one to two.

Keywords: Essikado Hospital; Queuing characteristics; First-come, First- served; Single-server Model; Utilization Factor; M/M/s Queuing Model; Mean Arrival Rate; and mean Service Rates.