Queuing analyses in health care

Queuing models were developed by Agner Erlang in 1904 to help determine the capacity needed for the Dutch telephone system. Since health care systems often have to deal with capacity constrains and plan for unforeseen surges in demand, queuing theory provides a useful approach for many health care research questions. Also, these models are typically much less complex than microsimulation models.
Today, I review a book chapter by Linda Green on queuing models.

How are queuing models structured?

Queueing systems typically have two entities: (i) “customers” who demand services and (i) ”servers” who provide services. The customers arrive