Optimising Maintenance Workflows in Healthcare Facilities: A Multi-Scenario Discrete Event Simulation and Simulation Annealing Approach

Healthcare systems in low-resource settings need effective methods for managing their scant resources, especially people and equipment. Digital technologies may provide means circumventing the constraints hindering low-income economies from improving healthcare services. Although analytical simulation techniques, such as queuing theory discrete event simulation, have already been successfully applied addressing various optimisation problems across different operational contexts, literature reveals that application of maintenance remains relatively unexplored. This study considers problem workflow with respect to labour, equipment availability cost. The aims objective forecasting resource demand, given a set task requests varying priorities queue characteristics flow multiple queues, parallel, into same process resolution. paper presents how is adopted combination simulated annealing develop decision-support tool helps asset managers leverage performance data project future asset-performance trends objectively, thereby determine appropriate interventions optimal performance. demonstrates facilities can achieve efficiency cost-effective manner through tool-generated strategies, any changes be expeditiously re-evaluated addressed.