Table 1.

Pros and cons of different bed allocation policies

	Specialization	Flexibility	Prioritize	Accommodate	Management &
		& EOS	pat. types	diverse LOS	bed guarantees
Separate wards	++	–	+	+	++
Simple merging	–	++	–	–	–
Earmarking	+	+	+	+	+
Threshold	–	++	++	++	–