| Health services are often developed without appropriately analyzing the system's ability to meet the needs of the consumer, and attempts to improve quality and efficiency often do not succeed because of the complexity and dynamic nature of services. However, some organizations are using sophisticated techniques such as simulation to analyze service systems. This study had three primary objectives: (1) to develop a computer simulation model for a drug information service; (2) to investigate the associations among actual service time, service delays, and perceived service quality; and (3) to recommend system improvements based on the simulation.; This study used both experimental and non-experimental methods. It was conducted at the Drug Information and Pharmacy Resource Center (DIPRC) at Shands at the University of Florida. Overall, seven hypotheses and three specific research questions were used to explore relationships among the study variables. Six data sources were used: (1) historical data sheets, (2) historical workload data, (3) data collection forms, (4) personal interviews, (5) service quality questionnaires, and (6) simulation runs.; The first three hypotheses tested the relationships among perceived service quality (PSQ), overall service quality (OSQ), and two measures of behavioral intention. A strong, positive relationship was found between PSQ and OSQ. In addition, relationships were found between PSQ and behavioral intention and between OSQ and behavioral intention. The remaining four hypotheses tested the relationships among PSQ, actual service time, service delays, and perceived service time it was found that only service delays and perceived service time were significantly related to PSQ. However, perceived service time seemed more important than service delays with regard to PSQ. No relationship was found between actual service time and PSQ. Surprisingly, no practically significant relationships were found among actual service time, service delays, and perceived service time.; A simulation model was constructed using GPSS/H (General Purpose Simulation System). The simulation was validated and found to be a credible model for analyzing the service system at the DIPRC. Exploration of the three specific research questions indicated that improving service times was more efficient than staffing increases for the purpose of reducing the percentage of service delays. |
