Model of a Workstation

To facilitate planning and management, I have derived a mathematicalmodel describingthe dynamicsof a workstation that receives a mixture of routine and emergency specimens. The model parametersincludethe maximalspecimenprocessingrate (to be definedby personnelrepresentatives) and the longestdelay allowed for emergencyspecimensat the workstation.Based on the model, a computer-simulation techniquehas beendevelopedto maximizethe lengthof time (planned pauses) during which the workstation could be closedwithoutcausingundue delayof routineand emergency specimen results. The application of this technique is illustratedwith real data, in which more than 50% of the specimenswere emergencyspecimens.Three pauses,constituting 35% of working hours, could be introducedwith a negligible impact on the turnaround time of emergency specimens(mean increase = 8 mm).The modelmayalsobe used to derive, as a function of time of day, the largest extra workload that may be presented to a workstationwithout creating overwork. The workloadcouldbe increasedby45%, providedthat all additionalspecimensarrivedbefore noon.