A configuration model for hospital design support systems

Hospital layout significantly influences operational efficiency and patient outcomes, demanding robust tools for informed decision-making during the layout design stage. This study presents a novel Hospital Configuration Model (HCM) as the foundational component of a Hospital Design Support System (HDSS), which utilizes simulation modelling to provide evaluation mechanisms on hospital efficiencies and functionalities. The HCM integrates four critical data types—geometric, topological, semantic, and operational—into a machine-readable digital twin, enabling comprehensive spatial and procedural analyses. The HCM facilitates simulation modelling to optimize hospital layouts and predict performance metrics such as crowdingness, patient waiting times, patient walking distance, and difficulty in wayfinding. In conclusion, the HCM is the core and foundation of developing HDSS for evaluating hospital functionalities and efficiencies, and the potential applications of HCM include digital twin development, facility management, and safety enhancement.