Opportunities for simulation-based optimization in hospital environment: results and perspectives from a review of the literature

This paper proposes a literature review about the usage of simulation-based optimization tools in hospital environment and, more precisely, for operating rooms management. The usage of simulation, in its various forms, is gaining increasing attention in healthcare management because of its capability of describing the system in a high degree of detail as well as of modelling scenarios with different levels of available resources or uncertainty. In this respect, the contribution of this review study consists of classifying the literature about the topic, delineating the most debated themes and their internal relationships, and identifying the most prominent authors and papers. These results are achieved using a combination of bibliographic and bibliometric tools, commonly adopted in review studies, on a sample of 82 papers. On the basis of the findings, opportunities for future research activities are delineated.