PartiSim: A multi-methodology framework to support facilitated simulation modelling in healthcare

Abstract

a b s t r a c tDiscrete event simulation (DES) studies in healthcare are thought to benefit from stakeholder participation during the study lifecycle. This paper reports on a multi-methodology framework, called PartiSim that is intended to support participative simulation studies. PartiSim combines DES, a traditionally hard OR approach, with soft systems methodology (SSM) in order to incorporate stakeholder involvement in the study lifecycle. The framework consists of a number of prescribed activities and outputs as part of the stages involved in the simulation lifecycle, which include study initiation, finding out about the problem, defining a conceptual model, model coding, experimentation and implementation. In PartiSim four of these stages involve facilitated workshops with a group of stakeholders. We explain the organisation of workshops, the key roles assigned to analysts and stakeholders, and how facilitation is embedded in the framework. We discuss our experience of using the framework, provide guidance on when to use it and conclude with future research directions.

How simulation modelling can help reduce the impact of COVID-19

“…The first issue is that whilst facilitated simulation modelling in healthcare has received some attention (Tako & Kotiadis, 2015;Kotiadis et al, 2014;Richardson & Andersen, 1995;Robinson et al, 2014) this has not been addressed when using ABM or HS and we have less of an understanding of how to engage multiple people in their design. Furthermore, the engagement has been in face-to-face workshop environments and COVID-19 will require remote meetings that may not be suited to the current tools; for example, developed for Participatory Simulation (PartiSim) (Tako & Kotiadis, 2015). New collaborative simulation practices that can support virtual meetings will need to be developed.…”

Towards fully-facilitated discrete event simulation modelling: Addressing the model coding stage

“…Two recent streams of work have proposed facilitated DES modelling approaches in healthcare: the PartiSim framework and the SimLean suite of tools. PartiSim started with a focus on conceptual modelling (Kotiadis, Tako, & Vasilakis, 2014) but now considers the whole project lifecycle with a six-stage conceptual framework that aims to help the modelling team involve stakeholders in facilitated simulation studies through combining DES and soft OR approaches (Tako & Kotiadis, 2015). SimLean uses DES to support facilitated-group, lean-based, improvement projects in healthcare, with three modes: Educate, to illustrate lean principles; Facilitate, for rapid but approximate models to support lean improvement workshops (also known as rapid improvement or kaizen events); and Evaluate, for detailed models built subsequently to predict the consequences of ideas suggested in an improvement workshop (Robinson et al, 2012;Robinson et al, 2014).…”

“…DES in healthcare is particularly challenging since healthcare systems have complex behaviour and involve many stakeholders with a plurality of opinions and objectives (Franco & Montibeller, 2010;Pitt et al, 2016;Proudlove, Black, & Fletcher, 2007;Robinson et al, 2012;Tako & Kotiadis, 2015). The apparent lack of success in implementing simulation studies in healthcare (Pitt et al, 2016) has prompted authors to reflect on domain-specific barriers to DES projects, particularly obtaining and retaining stakeholder engagement (Brailsford, 2005;Taylor, Eldabi, Riley, Paul, & Pidd, 2009).…”

Unpacking multimethodology: Impacts of a community development intervention

“…The former is concerned with the feasibility of mixing methodologies from different paradigms -namely, the commensurability versus incommensurability debate -(e.g. Eden, Ackermann, Bryson, Richardson, & Andersen, 2009;Jackson, 2009;Kotiadis & Mingers, 2006;Mingers, 1997;Zhu, 2011); whereas the latter relates to the different ways in which specific methodologies, methods and tools are actually mixed in organisational interventions (Brown, Cooper, & Pidd, 2006;Ferreira, 2013;Franco & Lord, 2011;Gondal, 2004;Ormerod, 2001;Pollack, 2009;Small & Wainwright, 2014;Sørensen, Vidal, & Engstrom, 2004;Tako & Kotiadis, 2015;Williams, Ackermann, & Eden, 2003;Yearworth & White, 2013).…”