Ultrasound waiting lists: rational queue or extended capacity?
The features and issues regarding clinical waiting lists in general and general ultrasound waiting lists in particular are reviewed, and operational aspects of providing a general ultrasound service are also discussed. A case study is presented describing a service improvement intervention in a UK NHS hospital's ultrasound department, from which arises requirements for a predictive planning model for an ultrasound waiting list. In the course of this, it becomes apparent that a booking system is a more appropriate way of describing the waiting list than a conventional queue. Distinctive features are identified from the literature and the case study as the basis for a predictive model, and a discrete event simulation model is presented which incorporates the distinctive features.
Brasted
Christopher
C
Cancer Strategy Programme, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 9RT, UK. chris.brasted@physics.org
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006801:Humans; D014463:Ultrasonography; D006113:United Kingdom; D014850:Waiting Lists