Predicting the future performance of a clinical biochemistry laboratory by computer simulation

In recent years, the number of samples which clinical biochemistry laboratories must handle has been increasing rapidly. At Ysbyty Gwynedd, which is a medium sized general hospital situated in North Wales, a 20% annual cumulative increase in workload has been observed. How this will affect the response time of the laboratory is the subject of this paper. First, a model for the analytical process is constructed, which is then validated using data gathered from the laboratory. The computer simulation is used to predict the effects of increased workload, replacement of analytical instruments and changes in working practices.