A mathematical model used for traffic jams can predict hospital wait times
The same physics used to manage highway congestion can predict hospital bottlenecks, revealing that a mere twenty percent increase in facility utilization can exponentially double patient wait times.
Hospital emergency rooms often function like single-lane highways where a surge in demand quickly leads to gridlock. Using queuing theory and Poisson distribution, researchers apply mathematical models typically reserved for traffic jams to predict healthcare delays. These models show that when hospital bed utilization—which averages only 2.8 per 1,000 people in the US—spikes, wait times do not increase linearly but exponentially.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz