Customize healthcare activity sets

Modify and customize activity sets within your patient flow to create an accurate simulation. 


Tutorial resources

These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:


00:03

An activity set is a set of pre-configured activities that are bundled together into a container and represent a specific task.

00:11

Within an activity set, you can add, remove, modify, or rearrange activities as needed.

00:20

Remember that you must link the activities within a set to the corresponding entities in your model to create an accurate simulation.

00:28

In this example, a model of a clinic is built and includes a waiting area, a registration desk with a clerk,

00:36

a nurse station, exam tables, and a scale.

00:44

There is also a prebuilt A* navigation to control the paths that the patients and staff members will travel.

00:52

In the Patient Flow, the process begins with a Source to generate patients.

00:59

When a patient enters the model, they wait in line to check in at the registration desk with the Wait in Line then Process activity set.

01:08

The next task, Process, is the only one that is not an activity set.

01:14

This was created by adding container and then the individual activities, Acquire Location, Walk,

01:22

and Release Location to represent waiting in the waiting room.

01:26

You can rename each activity set to represent the task.

01:30

Here, the first Escort then Process Activity is renamed “Weight at Scale”, since the patient will be escorted to the scale and weighed.

01:39

The second is renamed “Escort to Exam Room”.

01:43

Process with Staff is then used for the appointment and renamed “Meet with Doctor”.

01:50

Finally, Escort to Exit ends the patient flow.

01:54

The first two sets are renamed “Sign in” and “Waiting Room”.

01:59

Now, the resources within each set need to be linked to the appropriate entity in your model.

02:06

In Sign in, open the Waiting Line Quick Properties, click the Sampler, and then select WaitingLine1 to link the two.

02:18

For Location, sample Registration1.

02:24

Then, for Staff, sample Clerk1.

02:31

You can also rename activities or resources—here, rename Staff to “Clerk”.

02:38

When you update a resource name, the linked activities automatically update as well, as you see here with Clerk and Registration Desk.

02:48

Next, in the Process Quick Properties, adjust the settings as needed.

02:55

Here, the Process Time is set to 30.

02:60

Next, in the Waiting Room, for Location Resource, sample the waiting area, or Chairs1.

03:08

Again, these activities were added manually, so there is some additional setup.

03:15

Link the Acquire location and Release location activities to the Location Resource.

03:21

Additionally, combine Acquire Location, Walk, and Release Location into an activity block.

03:29

In Weight at Scale, for Location1, sample Scale1, and then rename the Resource “Scale”.

03:40

For Staff1, sample RN1, and then name it “Nurse”.

03:48

For the next activity, you want the same nurse to escort the patient to the exam room without being released.

03:56

Select the Weight at Scale activity block, click and drag the Release Nurse out of the block, and then, delete it.

04:04

Similarly, in the Escort To Exam Room activity block, delete the Acquire Staff activity.

04:12

For Escort to Exam Room, you want the same nurse who weighed the patient to escort them to the exam room.

04:19

For Staff3, instead of sampling the nurse in the model, you can just sample the Nurse in the Weight at Scale.

04:27

Note the asterisk on this Resource.

04:31

Next, for Location2, sample Exam Table1, and in the menu, select the previously created ExamTables group.

04:42

Then, rename the resource to “Exam Table”.

04:47

To prevent the release of the exam table before meeting with the Doctor, remove Release Exam Table from the Escort to Exam Room block.

04:56

Drag and place the table in the Escort to Exit below Escort Patient, to release it when the patient leaves.

05:03

Back in Escort to Exam Room, since the Nurse does not need to process the patient, set the Process Time to 0.

05:12

Next, in the Meet with Doctor set, for Staff2, sample MD1, then rename the Resource “Doctor”.

05:23

Then, set the Process Time to 5 minutes.

05:27

Note that you can also change the State of the involved objects.

05:32

In this case, the Doctor is ProvidingCare,

05:36

but you can select State > Staff to select from other options, such as performing a task or having a break.

05:45

Using the appropriate state helps you to more accurately represent your end-to-end flow

05:50

and provides more detailed statistics for analysis later.

05:54

The final activity set is Escort to Exit.

05:59

For Staff4, sample the Nurse and then, for the Exit, sample Glass Door1.

06:10

The rest of the activity set is already set up to release the Exam table, release the Nurse, and remove the patient from the model.

06:20

Now, you can Reset and Run the model.

06:23

Watch as the patient enters and checks in, waits in the waiting area, is escorted to the scale, proceeds to the Exam Room,

06:32

meets with the Doctor, and finally, is escorted to the exit.

06:37

Now you can modify and customize the activity sets in your healthcare model to create an accurate representation of your process.

Video transcript

00:03

An activity set is a set of pre-configured activities that are bundled together into a container and represent a specific task.

00:11

Within an activity set, you can add, remove, modify, or rearrange activities as needed.

00:20

Remember that you must link the activities within a set to the corresponding entities in your model to create an accurate simulation.

00:28

In this example, a model of a clinic is built and includes a waiting area, a registration desk with a clerk,

00:36

a nurse station, exam tables, and a scale.

00:44

There is also a prebuilt A* navigation to control the paths that the patients and staff members will travel.

00:52

In the Patient Flow, the process begins with a Source to generate patients.

00:59

When a patient enters the model, they wait in line to check in at the registration desk with the Wait in Line then Process activity set.

01:08

The next task, Process, is the only one that is not an activity set.

01:14

This was created by adding container and then the individual activities, Acquire Location, Walk,

01:22

and Release Location to represent waiting in the waiting room.

01:26

You can rename each activity set to represent the task.

01:30

Here, the first Escort then Process Activity is renamed “Weight at Scale”, since the patient will be escorted to the scale and weighed.

01:39

The second is renamed “Escort to Exam Room”.

01:43

Process with Staff is then used for the appointment and renamed “Meet with Doctor”.

01:50

Finally, Escort to Exit ends the patient flow.

01:54

The first two sets are renamed “Sign in” and “Waiting Room”.

01:59

Now, the resources within each set need to be linked to the appropriate entity in your model.

02:06

In Sign in, open the Waiting Line Quick Properties, click the Sampler, and then select WaitingLine1 to link the two.

02:18

For Location, sample Registration1.

02:24

Then, for Staff, sample Clerk1.

02:31

You can also rename activities or resources—here, rename Staff to “Clerk”.

02:38

When you update a resource name, the linked activities automatically update as well, as you see here with Clerk and Registration Desk.

02:48

Next, in the Process Quick Properties, adjust the settings as needed.

02:55

Here, the Process Time is set to 30.

02:60

Next, in the Waiting Room, for Location Resource, sample the waiting area, or Chairs1.

03:08

Again, these activities were added manually, so there is some additional setup.

03:15

Link the Acquire location and Release location activities to the Location Resource.

03:21

Additionally, combine Acquire Location, Walk, and Release Location into an activity block.

03:29

In Weight at Scale, for Location1, sample Scale1, and then rename the Resource “Scale”.

03:40

For Staff1, sample RN1, and then name it “Nurse”.

03:48

For the next activity, you want the same nurse to escort the patient to the exam room without being released.

03:56

Select the Weight at Scale activity block, click and drag the Release Nurse out of the block, and then, delete it.

04:04

Similarly, in the Escort To Exam Room activity block, delete the Acquire Staff activity.

04:12

For Escort to Exam Room, you want the same nurse who weighed the patient to escort them to the exam room.

04:19

For Staff3, instead of sampling the nurse in the model, you can just sample the Nurse in the Weight at Scale.

04:27

Note the asterisk on this Resource.

04:31

Next, for Location2, sample Exam Table1, and in the menu, select the previously created ExamTables group.

04:42

Then, rename the resource to “Exam Table”.

04:47

To prevent the release of the exam table before meeting with the Doctor, remove Release Exam Table from the Escort to Exam Room block.

04:56

Drag and place the table in the Escort to Exit below Escort Patient, to release it when the patient leaves.

05:03

Back in Escort to Exam Room, since the Nurse does not need to process the patient, set the Process Time to 0.

05:12

Next, in the Meet with Doctor set, for Staff2, sample MD1, then rename the Resource “Doctor”.

05:23

Then, set the Process Time to 5 minutes.

05:27

Note that you can also change the State of the involved objects.

05:32

In this case, the Doctor is ProvidingCare,

05:36

but you can select State > Staff to select from other options, such as performing a task or having a break.

05:45

Using the appropriate state helps you to more accurately represent your end-to-end flow

05:50

and provides more detailed statistics for analysis later.

05:54

The final activity set is Escort to Exit.

05:59

For Staff4, sample the Nurse and then, for the Exit, sample Glass Door1.

06:10

The rest of the activity set is already set up to release the Exam table, release the Nurse, and remove the patient from the model.

06:20

Now, you can Reset and Run the model.

06:23

Watch as the patient enters and checks in, waits in the waiting area, is escorted to the scale, proceeds to the Exam Room,

06:32

meets with the Doctor, and finally, is escorted to the exit.

06:37

Now you can modify and customize the activity sets in your healthcare model to create an accurate representation of your process.

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