Simulation – A Tutorial on Simulation in Healthcare: Applications and Issues
•Computer simulation models conform both to system structure and to available system data
•Simulation supports experimentation with systems at relatively low cost and little risk
•Variation matters
•Simulation experiment results conform to unique system requirements for information
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Simulation models emphasize the direct representation of the structure and logic of a system as opposed to abstracting the system into a mathematical form. The availability of system descriptions and data influences the choice of simulation model parameters, as well as which objects and which of their attributes can be included in the model.

Alternatives can be assessed without the fear that negative consequences will damage day-to-day operations as would be the case if experiments were conducted directly on existing, operating systems.

Variation has to do with the reality that no system does the same activity in exactly the same way or in the same amount of time always. Variation may be represented by the second central moment of a statistical distribution, the variance. Variation may also arise from decision rules that change processing procedures based on what a system is currently doing, or because of the characteristics of the patient receiving care.

(Standridge, 1999)