Proposals to reduce over-crowding, lengthy stays and improve patient care: study of the geriatric department in Norway's largest hospital

Changes in demographics and the burgeoning costs of medical care are putting hospitals in all developed countries under increased pressure. We demonstrate how simulation is contributing to satisfying stakeholders demands for increased efficiency and rates of return as well as improving the potential for geriatric patients reconvalescence and reducing the number of 'corridor beds'. Although considered a fire hazard and therefore illegal, corridor beds are a common phenomenon in Norway. The four main issues to be discussed are: clinical pathways, the unmet demand for geriatric care at the hospital, the potential for increasing patient throughput at the geriatric ward and ways to achieve it.