This study aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at a COVID-19 vaccination centre using advanced Discrete Event Simulation (DES) techniques. With the decreasing demand for vaccinations, the focus has shifted from increasing capacity to optimizing the patient experience and operational flow. The research uses Witness Horizon, a DES tool, to create a digital twin of a vaccination centre using data collected through online surveys, interactive sessions with psychologist and past works, offering a comprehensive view of both operational and human behavioral aspects, enabling the modelling of various scenarios and addressing logistical bottlenecks and behavioral factors. The simulation results indicated that minor adjustments in patient flow, staff allocation, resource utilisation and addressing psychological barriers like vaccine anxiety, the likelihood of patients completing the vaccination process improved, significantly enhancing operational efficiency, reducing wait times and improving overall patient satisfaction. Despite limitations such as data collection and software accessibility constraints, the built model proved effective in identifying key challenges, and recommendations were made for optimizing future public health initiatives.
Keshi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.