A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY IN SIMULATION OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY ASEPTIC UNITS

The healthcare sector contributes significantly to environmental impacts, mainly through consuming resources for patient care that generate waste and carbon footprint. For example, hospital pharmacy aseptic units, critical for preparing high-risk injectable medications, contribute to this impact through generating medicinal waste, personal protective equipment, and other disposables. Simulation modeling can help analyze and improve these processes by replicating ASU workflows. While conceptual modeling is recognized in simulation studies, few have applied sustainability perspectives to real-world healthcare settings. To address this, we developed a conceptual model (CM) framework with an NHS stakeholder to enhance sustainability performance in ASUs through minimising waste, improving operational efficiency, and alignment with the NHS net-zero carbon agenda. The Discrete-event simulation implemented using our CM will thus allow for the experimentation of sustainability strategies, such as batching and automation. The main research contribution of this work is to bridge the divide between operational efficiency and sustainability, offering valuable insights for developing sustainable practices in real-world healthcare settings.