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Waiting lists in Spanish public hospitals: a system dynamics approach
Author(s) -
GonzálezBusto Begoña,
García Rafael
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1727(199923)15:3<201::aid-sdr170>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - order (exchange) , operations research , computer science , queueing theory , work (physics) , investment (military) , service (business) , politics , term (time) , waiting list , system dynamics , operations management , business , finance , economics , marketing , engineering , political science , medicine , mechanical engineering , computer network , physics , surgery , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , law , transplantation
Long waiting lists is one of the major problems faced by the Spanish National Health Service. As a result of the political and social concern generated by the long periods of time patients have to wait to receive medical care, policies have been designed in order to shorten or even eliminate these lists. Since most of the research work analyzing waiting lists in Spain, has up to now, been based on Queuing Theory, we considered building a simulation model in order to improve our understanding of how waiting lists behave over time and to analyze the long‐term effectiveness of the policies commonly used when managing them. This simulation model includes the policies currently in practice (subcontracting activities to public and privately owned hospitals, the so‐called “special programs”, waiting list updating or revision) and some new proposals (capacity investment decision and staggering of the vacation periods). Simulation with the model enables us to make some recommendations as to the usefulness and the long‐term impact of these policies. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.