Operations Research And Simulation In Healthcare

This book presents work on healthcare management and engineering using optimization and simulation methods and techniques. Specific topics covered in the contributed chapters include discrete-event simulation, patient admission scheduling, simulation-based emergency department control systems, patient transportation, cost function networks, hospital bed management, and operating theater scheduling. The content will be valuable for researchers and postgraduate students in computer science, information technology, industrial engineering, and applied mathematics.

In both rich and poor nations, public resources for health care are inadequate to meet demand. Policy makers and health care providers must determine how to provide the most effective health care to citizens using the limited resources that are available. This chapter describes current and future challenges in the delivery of health care, and outlines the role that operations research (OR) models can play in helping to solve those problems. The chapter concludes with an overview of this book – its intended audience, the areas covered, and a description of the subsequent chapters. KEY WORDS Health care delivery, Health care planning HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES 3 1.1 WORLDWIDE HEALTH: THE PAST 50 YEARS Human health has improved significantly in the last 50 years. In 1950, global life expectancy was 46 years [1]. That figure rose to 61 years by 1980 and to 67 years by 1998 [2]. Much of these gains occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and were due in large part to improved nutrition and sanitation, medical innovations, and improvements in public health infrastructure.

This book offers a comprehensive reference guide to operations research theory and applications in health care systems. It provides readers with all the necessary tools for solving health care problems. The respective chapters, written by prominent researchers, explain a wealth of both basic and advanced concepts of operations research for the management of operating rooms, intensive care units, supply chain, emergency medical service, human resources, lean health care, and procurement. To foster a better understanding, the chapters include relevant examples or case studies. Taken together, they form an excellent reference guide for researchers, lecturers and postgraduate students pursuing research on health care management problems. The book presents a dynamic snapshot on the field that is expected to stimulate new directions and stimulate new ideas and developments.

This practical guide provides a focus on the implementation of healthcare simulation operations, as well as the type of professional staff required for developing effective programs in this field. Though there is no single avenue in which a person pursues the career of a healthcare simulation technology specialist (HSTS), this book outlines the extensive knowledge and variety of skills one must cultivate to be effective in this role. This book begins with an introduction to healthcare simulation, including personnel, curriculum, and physical space. Subsequent chapters address eight knowledge/skill domains core to the essential aspects of an HSTS. To conclude, best practices and innovations are provided, and the benefits of developing a collaborative relationship with industry stakeholders are discussed. Expertly written text throughout the book is supplemented with dozens of high-quality color illustrations, photographs, and tables. Written and edited by leaders in the field, Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice is optimized for a variety of learners, including healthcare educators, simulation directors, as well as those looking to pursue a career in simulation operations as healthcare simulation technology specialists.

Operations research tools are ideally suited to providing solutions and insights for the many problems health policy-maker's face. Indeed, a growing body of literature on health policy analysis, based on operations research methods, has emerged to address the problems mentioned above and several others. The research in this field is often multi-disciplinary, being conducted by teams that include not only operations researchers but also clinicians, economists and policy analysts. The research is also often very applied, focusing on a specific question driven by a decision-maker and many times yielding a tool to assist in future decisions. The goal of this volume was to bring together a group of papers by leading experts that could showcase the current state of the field of operations research applied to health-care policy. There are 18 chapters that illustrate the breadth of this field. The chapters use a variety of techniques, including classical operations research tools, such as optimization, queuing theory, and discrete event simulation, as well as statistics, epidemic models and decision-analytic models. The book spans the field and includes work that ranges from highly conceptual to highly applied. An example of the former is the chapter by Kimmel and Schackman on building policy models, and an example of the latter is the chapter by Coyle and colleagues on developing a Markov model for use by an organization in Ontario that makes recommendations about the funding of new drugs. The book also includes a mix of review chapters, such as the chapter by Hutton on public health response to influenza outbreaks, and original research, such as the paper by Blake and colleagues analyzing a decision by Canadian Blood Services to consolidate services. This volume could provide an excellent introduction to the field of operations research applied to health-care policy, and it could also serve as an introduction to new areas for researchers already familiar with the topic. The book is divided into six sections. The first section contains two chapters that describe several different applications of operations research in health policy and provide an excellent overview of the field. Sections 2 to 4 present policy models in three focused areas. Section 5 contains two chapters on conceptualizing and building policy models. The book concludes in Section 6 with two chapters describing work that was done with policy-makers and presenting insights gained from working directly with policy-makers.

This book presents a selection of studies that have applied Operational Research methods to improve emergency planning in healthcare, to include both A&E and public health emergencies like epidemic and natural disasters. The studies have delved into qualitative Operational Research like Problem Structuring, Critical Systems Thinking, Soft Systems Methodology, and Qualitative System Dynamics, and also quantitative techniques such as Monte Carlo Simulation, Discrete-event Simulation, and System Dynamics. These techniques have been applied for review and assessment of emergency services, for policy formulation and for facilitating broader public engagement in emergency preparedness and response. Furthermore, this book presents rigorous reviews on the applications of Operational Research in the wider healthcare context. This volume focuses mainly on emergency planning at the strategic level, whereas volume 1 focuses on planning at the operational level. The OR Essentials series presents a unique cross-section of high quality research work fundamental to understanding contemporary issues and research across a range of Operational Research (OR) topics. It brings together some of the best research papers from the highly respected journals of the Operational Research Society, also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

This book presents a collection of studies that have applied analytical methods to improve preparedness, planning, and a faster response to A&E and public health emergencies like epidemic and disease outbreak. It explores the application of quantitative Operational Research techniques such as Mathematical Modelling and Optimization, Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis, Discrete-event Simulation, Data Mining, and Bayesian Decision Models. These techniques have been used for better management of emergency care, including first responders, ambulance services, A&E departments, and mass immunisation centres. This volume focuses on planning at the operational level whereas volume 2 focuses mainly on planning at the strategic level. The OR Essentials series presents a unique cross-section of high quality research work fundamental to understanding contemporary issues and research across a range of Operational Research (OR) topics. It brings together some of the best research papers from the highly respected journals of the Operational Research Society, also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Clinical Simulation: Education, Operations and Engineering, Second Edition, offers readers a restructured, comprehensive and updated approach to learn about simulation practices and techniques in a clinical setting. Featuring new and revised chapters from the industry’s top researchers and educators, this release gives readers the most updated data through modern pedagogy. This new edition has been restructured to highlight five major components of simulation education, including simulation scenarios as tools, student learning, faculty teaching, necessary subject matter, and the learning environment. With clear and efficient organization throughout the book, users will find this to be an ideal text for students and professionals alike. Edited by a leading educator, consultant and practitioner in the clinical simulation field Redesigned structure emphasizes the five components of simulation pedagogy Contains over 30 new chapters that feature the most up-to-date industry information and practices

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ORAHS, the Working Group on Operational Research Applied to Health Services, is a special-interest group of EURO (the European Association of OR Societies). ORAHS meets every year in a different host country. The objectives of the group include communication of ideas, knowledge and experience concerning the application of Operational Research approaches and methods to problems in the health services area; mutual support between members; and collaboration on joint projects. The 31st meeting of ORAHS was held in 2005 at the University of Southampton, UK. A total of forty-one scientific papers were presented, nineteen of which are contained in this volume. The application areas covered include resource allocation, performance measurement and disease modelling, from within Europe and beyond. The approaches used range from mathematical optimization, simulation and statistical modelling through to «soft» OR. These proceedings provide a broad perspective on current research in this area across Europe and beyond.