Analyzing the Queuing Theory at the Emergency Department at King Hussein Cancer Center

Abstract

Objectives This study was conducted in 2022 at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) to analyze the queuing theory at the Emergency Department (ED). Methods According to the statistics, the peak months were July and August, with peak hours from 10 am until 6 pm. The study sample was a week of July 2022, during the peak days and hours. Patients’ wait- time was measured according to three stations: the health informatics desk, triage room, and emergency bed area. Results The average number of patients in the line at the health informatics desk was not more than 3, and the waiting time was between 1 and 4 minutes. Hence, patients immediately received service in the triage room; hence; there was no waiting time or line because the nurse’s role ends after taking the vital signs and rating the patient’s acuity. Using equations of queuing theory and other relativistic equations in the emergency bed area gave different results. To explain, the queuing theory showed that the average residence time in the system was between 4 and 10 minutes. Conclusions Conversely, relativistic equations (ratios of served patients and departed patients and other related variables) demonstrated that the average residence time was between 21 and 36 minutes.