A BPMN extension to support discrete-event simulation for healthcare applications

Onggo, Bhakti Satyabuhdi Stephan, Proudlove, Nathan, D'Ambrogio, Andrea, Calabrese, Armando, Bisogno, Stefania and Levialdi Ghiron, Nathan (2018) A BPMN extension to support discrete-event simulation for healthcare applications. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 69 (5), 788-802. (doi:10.1057/s41274-017-0267-7).

Abstract

Stakeholder engagement in simulation projects is important, especially in healthcare where there is a plurality of stakeholder opinions, objectives and power. One promising approach for increasing engagement is facilitated modelling. Currently, the complexity of producing a simulation model means that the ‘model coding’ stage is performed without the involvement of stakeholders, interrupting the possibility of a fully-facilitated project. Early work demonstrated that with currently-available software tools we can represent a simple healthcare process using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and generate a simulation model automatically. However, for more complex processes, BPMN currently has a number of limitations, namely the ability to represent queues and data-driven decision points. To address these limitations, we propose a conceptual design for an extension to BPMN (BPMN4SIM) using Model Driven Architecture. Application to an elderly emergency care pathway in a UK hospital shows that BPMN4SIM is able to represent a more-complex business process.

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Contributors

Author: Bhakti Satyabuhdi Stephan Onggo

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