Using discrete event simulation (DES) to manage theatre operations in healthcare: An audit-based case study

This paper discusses the application of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) in modelling the complex relationship between patient types, case-mix and operating theatre allocation in a large National Health Service (NHS) Trust in London. The simulation model that was constructed described the main features of nine theatres, focusing on operational processes and patient throughput times. The model was used to test three scenarios of case-mix and to demonstrate the potential of using simulation modelling as a cost effective method for understanding the issues of healthcare operations management and the role of simulation techniques in problem solving. The results indicated that removing all day cases will reduce patient throughput by 23.3% and the utilization of the orthopaedic theatre in particular by 6.5%. This represents a case example of how DES can be used by healthcare managers to inform decision making

A review of historical developments of quality assessment in industry and healthcare

Purpose: This study reviewed the literature on the historical development of quality assessment methods in industry and in healthcare. A comparative analysis of quality methods in industry and healthcare was conducted to examine the gap between methods in the two sectors. An attempt was then made to examine the latest approaches to quality assessment in healthcare and finally a proposal has been offered for a more effective approach to tackling the problem of quality in healthcare. Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, a review of the evolution of quality assessment in industry and healthcare was conducted. This was based on books written by prominent experts in the field of quality. secondly, a study of the current approaches in healthcare was undertaken. Publications from varied sources were selected and reviewed. The literature consulted includes worldwide operations research and healthcare sources including dissertations, the internet and reference lists of relevant articles. The journal papers and conference proceedings were selected according to the following criteria: Objective: the study must be aimed at measuring or improving quality both. It could also be aimed at developing new ways of measuring the quality of health care; Method: observational studies, experimental trials or systematic reviews; Setting: study should be in a hospital setting and not narrowed to quality of clinical cares. Findings: This study showed that the concept of quality management and its control in healthcare is not as advanced as it is in industry. Moreover, it seemed that most researchers, who set out to assess quality of care in one way or the other, have had differing views of quality and the factors that contribute to its assessment. It was also deduced that the way forward in healthcare quality is the development of systems that give staff ownership and pride in a way that is akin to the era of the craftsmen

The two-stage clonal expansion model in occupational cancer epidemiology: Results from three cohort studies

Copyright © 2010 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Objectives: The objective of this work was to apply the two-stage clonal expansion model, with the intention to expand the literature on epidemiological applications of the model and demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating biologically based modelling methods into the widely used retrospective cohort study. Methods: The authors fitted the two-stage clonal expansion model model to three occupational cohort studies: (1) a cohort of textile workers exposed to asbestos and followed for lung cancer mortality; (2) a cohort of diatomaceous earth workers exposed to silica and also followed for lung cancer mortality; and (3) a cohort of automotive manufacturing workers exposed to straight metalworking fluid (MWF) and followed for larynx cancer incidence. The model allowed the authors to estimate exposure effects in three stages: cancer initiation (early effects), promotion or malignant transformation (late effects). Results: In the first cohort, the authors found strong evidence for an early effect of asbestos on lung cancer risk. Findings from analyses of the second cohort suggested early and less evidently late effects of silica on lung cancer risk. In the MWF (third) cohort, there was only weak evidence of straight MWF exposure effects on both early and late stages. The authors also observed a late birth cohort effect on larynx cancer risk. Conclusions: The findings for asbestos and silica were essentially confirmatory, supporting evidence for their early effects on lung cancer from a large body of literature. The effect of straight MWF on larynx cancer was less clear.This work was supported by a grant from the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,R01-OH03575, and a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine number TS 0699

Are Marine Protected Areas in the Turks and Caicos Islands ecologically or economically valuable?

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are often advocated by ecologists as a method of conserving valuable fish stocks while ensuring the integrity of ecological processes in the face of increasing anthropogenic disturbance. In the Turks and Caicos Islands there is little evidence that current MPAs are ecologically beneficial but there are indications that boundary changes may enhance queen conch and finfish production. Implementing boundary changes usually requires political will and, hence, quantifiable economic benefits. Assessing the value of reef fish is particularly important because they are potentially valuable for consumptive and nonconsumptive purposes. We demonstrate the nonconsumptive economic value of increased Nassau grouper size and abundance to the dive tourism industry through a paired comparison conjoint survey of visiting divers. Our results suggest that accounting for the non-consumptive economic value of increased Nassau grouper abundance and size may have a large impact on the economic viability of ecologically functional MPAs

A Brief History of Data Visualization (and the role of libraries and librarians)

Graphics, illustrations, charts, and tables have accompanied scientific works for as long as people have been reporting findings and publishing papers. Once the purview of researchers and graphic illustrators, today finds libraries and librarians involved in many aspects of data including access, management, preservation, and visualization. This illustrated timeline traces the history of data visualization from generations of hand-drawn images to today’s exploding arena of data production and visualization tools, highlighting the efforts and opportunities for information professionals and introducing this special issue of Journal of eScience Librarianship devoted to data visualization

e-Science and Data Management Resources on the Web.

The way research is conducted has changed over time, from simple experiments to computer modeling and simulation, from individuals working in isolated laboratories to global networks of researchers collaborating on a single topic. Often, this new paradigm results in the generation of staggering amounts of data. The intensive use of data and the existence of networks of researchers characterize e-Science. The role of libraries and librarians in e-Science has been a topic of interest for some time now. This column looks at tools, resources, and projects that demonstrate successful collaborations between libraries and researchers in e-Science

The e-Science Initiative of the Lamar Soutter Library: Five Projects, One Goal

Objective: Provide current librarians with a variety of options to become adept at the knowledge and skills needed to successfully work in the area of e-Science. Methods: In 2009, the Lamar Soutter Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School, hosted its first e-Science Symposium for librarians in New England. The event marked the beginning of an ongoing initiative to prepare librarians to take active roles in an emerging trend in research that will impact the futures of academic, research and medical libraries. Based upon feedback from attendees at the Symposium, other events were developed to address the needs expressed. These include single-day professional development workshops that provide a combined lecture and hands-on work in relevant topics; 3-day science boot camps that bring researchers and librarians together to learn about both the basics of scientific disciplines, as well as how the science is applied in today\u27s world; a web-based portal that provides a collection of resources for librarians to improve their knowledge of e-Science issues such as data management or developing metadata, plus primers on scientific disciplines; and a recently launched eJournal, The Journal of eScience Librarianship, that aims to bring together the theory and practice of librarianship in the area of e-Science. Results: The Lamar Soutter Library\u27s e-Science Initiative is currently in its fourth year of programming. Hundreds of librarians from New England, as well as other parts of the country, have taken advantage of the different events over the years. The symposium and professional development days have been replicated by attendees in their respective institutions and/or regions. Conclusions: The need for librarians to gain new skills to remain relevant in their role(s) is ongoing, yet difficult to achieve once ensconced in a position and/or career. By providing different ways to grow professionally, the e-Science Initiative of the Lamar Soutter Library is leading a national trend in continuing education and improved awareness of e-Science Librarianship