Staffing and Capacity Planning for SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Facilities: A Performance Estimation Calculator Based on Discrete-Event Simulations

Frontiers in Public Health

卷:9

Jeffrey D. Freeman¹  Miles A. Stewart¹  Donald Richardson¹  Çaglar Çaglayan¹  Jonathan Thornhill¹  Anastasia S. Lambrou¹  Kaitlin Rainwater-Lovett¹  Tiffany Pfundt²  John T. Redd² 

[1] Asymmetric Operations Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, United States;

[2] Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, United States;

关键词: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19);    capacity-planning;    staffing;    discrete-event simulation;    monoclonal antibody treatment;    decision-support tool;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2021.770039

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly stressed healthcare systems. The addition of monoclonal antibody (mAb) infusions, which prevent severe disease and reduce hospitalizations, to the repertoire of COVID-19 countermeasures offers the opportunity to reduce system stress but requires strategic planning and use of novel approaches. Our objective was to develop a web-based decision-support tool to help existing and future mAb infusion facilities make better and more informed staffing and capacity decisions.Materials and MethodsUsing real-world observations from three medical centers operating with federal field team support, we developed a discrete-event simulation model and performed simulation experiments to assess performance of mAb infusion sites under different conditions.Results162,000 scenarios were evaluated by simulations. Our analyses revealed that it was more effective to add check-in staff than to add additional nurses for middle-to-large size sites with ≥2 infusion nurses; that scheduled appointments performed better than walk-ins when patient load was not high; and that reducing infusion time was particularly impactful when load on resources was only slightly above manageable levels.DiscussionPhysical capacity, check-in staff, and infusion time were as important as nurses for mAb sites. Health systems can effectively operate an infusion center under different conditions to provide mAb therapeutics even with relatively low investments in physical resources and staff.ConclusionSimulations of mAb infusion sites were used to create a capacity planning tool to optimize resource utility and allocation in constrained pandemic conditions, and more efficiently treat COVID-19 patients at existing and future mAb infusion sites.

【 授权许可】

Unknown