Healthcare Logistics Systems research group – About us
The Research Group on Healthcare Logistics Systems at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) operates under the leadership of Dr. Krisztián Bóna within the Department of Material Handling and Logistics Systems (ALRT) at the Faculty of Transportation and Vehicle Engineering. The other current members of the research group are Ádám Tóth and Ádám Horváth, both certified logistics engineers.
The group’s work has resulted in numerous successful Students’ Scientific Conference (TDK) theses, undergraduate theses, graduate theses, conference presentations, and publications in recent years. Four TDK papers related to the group’s work won 2 first-place awards, 2 second-place awards, and 1 Rector’s Special Award at the faculty TDK, and at the biennial OTDK (National Students’ Scientific Conference), and 2 first-place and 1 second-place awards at the biennial OTDK, as well as a second-place award at the EELISA SSC (European Engineering Learning Innovation & Science Alliance, Scientific Student Competition), an international competition held for the first time in 2023. In addition, the New National Excellence Program (ÚNKP), the University Researcher Scholarship Program (EKÖP), and the National Higher Education Scholarship (formerly the Republic Scholarship) were also awarded for work conducted within the research group.
During the research group’s operations, we have established connections with several major domestic emergency departments (EDs), and we currently maintain close ties with the ED at the 400-bed clinic operating at the University of Pécs.
The extreme workload in emergency care—which stems primarily from high patient volumes and unpredictable fluctuations—poses a serious challenge to the healthcare system. Currently, the level of digital support for the care process is insufficient, so making day-to-day operational decisions places a significant burden on the resources of the care staff, who are the most important elements of the system in terms of value creation.
The aim of our research is to explore the development potential of digital tools—particularly visualization interfaces and dashboard systems—that can support decision-making by utilizing existing, routinely collected data. Such systems may be capable of displaying patient traffic trends, complaint groups characteristic of specific periods, and the severity distribution of emerging cases in real time, thereby enabling the targeted and efficient allocation of resources.
The goal of this development is not only to increase the efficiency of care but also to improve the patient experience, particularly given that the emergency department is often the patient’s first point of contact with the healthcare system. The quality of this experience fundamentally determines the patient’s trust and attitude toward care. The added value of digitizing processes can be illustrated by examining the most common patient pathways in emergency departments. The goal is to develop automated systems that support decision-making seamlessly, without placing an additional burden on employees.
A current priority research topic is the development of services to support operational processes at EDs, as well as the integration of digital twin technology for purposes such as predicting traffic volumes. This complex service includes the deployment of a hardware infrastructure package, a dashboard software consisting of three interfaces (interfaces for doctors, for personal and community use for the patients), and the development of the digital twin. With these developments, we can proceed step by step toward the desired state, as illustrated in the following figure.
Members of the research group
He is an associate professor and the head of department at the Department of Materials Handling and Logistics Systems (ALRT) at BME, and the lead instructor for courses related to logistics system design and modeling. His work focuses on the mathematical modeling of logistics systems and the application of innovative technological and organizational solutions in logistics. He is the founder and leader of the Healthcare Logistics Systems Research Group; he has authored numerous professional articles and conference presentations, and has served as the advisor for a significant number of undergraduate research projects, theses, and diploma projects related to the Research Group’s work.
In 2022, while still a student, he joined the research group and has been actively contributing to its work ever since. He wrote both his term paper and his thesis on this topic, and has also authored several TDK papers in the field, which have received awards at both the national and international levels. In his research, he primarily focuses on analyzing data collection methodologies, as well as evaluating and visualizing data, thereby contributing to the quantitative foundation of the project and the presentability of its results.
He joined the research group in March 2023 as a master’s student and actively participated in several projects as an engineering intern. His research focuses primarily on simulation modeling, a topic on which he also wrote his thesis. During his studies, he participated in two TDK competitions, where he placed first and second, and also performed successfully at the OTDK, where he won first place. In addition, he has presented his work at several conferences.
Our works
Service logistics in healthcare: looking for analogies through the example of emergency patient care to increase the efficiency of emergency patient care
Boglárka Katona , Judit Szabó (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna )
Online, 2020.11.12.
Improving methods to analyze value adding processes in emergency healthcare
Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna )
Budapest, 2022.11.17.
Developing the methodology for the evaluation of value creatingprocesses of emergency healthcare
EELISA Scientific Student Competition Pisa, 2023.05.18.
Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
Improving patient care management processes in emergency departments using solutions via digitalization
Faculty TDK Budapest, 2023.11.16.
Ádám Horváth, Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
THE PATH TO IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS
Dr. Krisztián Bóna, Ádám Tóth
Magyar Logisztikai Egyesület Logisztikai Évkönyv 2024
Technical, technological, and process management approaches to the development of a value-creating system for emergency patient care
Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
“YOU ARE THE FUTURE!” ÚNKP RESEARCH AND EXCELLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY – Budapest University of Technology and Economics, ÚNKP Conference, Transportation and Vehicle Science Section.
Online, 2024.05.29.
Program guide: https://unkpkonferencia.bme.hu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/UNKP_2024_programfuzet_v4.pdf
Absztrakt guide: https://unkpkonferencia.bme.hu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/UNKP_2024_absztraktfuzet_02.pdf
Process improvement with digitalisation tools in emergency patient care through the example of a Hungarian ED
Faculty TDK Budapest, 2024.11.21.
Ádám Horváth, Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
https://tdk.bme.hu/conference/KJK/2024/sessions/LOG/paper/Egy-surgossegi-betegellato-osztalyt-tamogato
Process improvement with digitalisation tools in emergency patient care through the example of a Hungarian ED
Semmelweis University InterUni conference: Budapest, 2024.11.22.
Ádám Horváth, Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
Process improvement with digitalisation tools in emergency patient care through the example of a Hungarian ED
37. OTDK Debrecen, 2025.04.23.
Ádám Horváth, Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
Optimization of the Workload and Work Pattern in a Tertiary Emergency Centre by Means of Logistic Engineering
SEEEDMC Budapest, 2025.05.23.
Dr. Péter Kanizsai, Ádám Horváth, Ádám Tóth, Dr. Krisztián Bóna
Developing concepts for the collection and visualization of data generated during emergency patient care to support value creation
Ádám Tóth (consultant Dr. Krisztián Bóna)
“You Are the Future!” – Academic Conference on Excellence Programs at the University of Technology – Budapest University of Technology and Economics, EKÖP Conference, Transportation and Vehicle Science Section.
Online, 2025.05.28.
Program guide: https://kivalosagiprogramok.bme.hu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EKOP_2025_programfuzet_0515.pdf
Absztrakt guide: https://kivalosagiprogramok.bme.hu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Absztrakt_2025_v2.pdf
Contacts
1111 Budapest, Bertalan L. street 6.
Budapesti University of Technology and Economics, ST building ground floor, Department of Material Handling and Logistics Systems
Dr. Krisztián Bóna
krisztian.bona@logisztika.bme.hu
Ádám Tóth
adam.toth@logisztika.bme.hu
Ádám Horváth
adam.horvath@logisztika.bme.hu