Validating state-dependent queues in health care

Excerpt

Demographic projections and lack of medical staff pose an increasing challenge for the sustainability of our health system. Queueing theory may play a primary role in supporting decision making regarding its future organization, as it provides fundamental insight into the balance between demand of care and available capacity. To achieve this, insight in patient flows and systems dynamics is crucial, where proposed queueing models need to be supported by data. This has been recognized in [1], posing various research opportunities at the interface between queueing theory, service engineering, and statistics. However, the focus there is only on Emergency Departments (ED) and Internal Wards (IW) of hospitals. We need a wider view on our complete health system to propose reforms, including ambulatory care, assisted living, and (nursing) home care. …