Determining the Impact of Facility Layout Methods on Walk-in Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics: a Theoretical Exploration

Ensuring safety and public health is a paramount concern in mass vaccination against contagious respiratory infections. This study examines the effects of layout methods and path routing decisions on average patient travel distance (TD) and time-in-system (TIS) within the context of a theoretical mass vaccination clinic. Two distinct layout methods, Perimeter and Serpentine, are evaluated in conjunction with two path routing conditions, Cyclical and Unidirectional. Employing discrete-event simulation, the study investigates multiple patient turnouts and clinic operational hours. The results reveal the significant impact of layout on average TD, underscoring the heightened efficiency of the Perimeter layout and Unidirectional path. Furthermore, the findings highlight the significant effect of layout method on TIS when considering optimal staffing configurations. Conversely, the analysis indicates that path directionality does not exert a statistically significant effect. This study emphasizes the critical role of layout design in optimizing vaccination clinics for efficiency and effectiveness.