Our researchers have helped to improve patient outcomes in the healthcare sector in the UK and Germany. Using mathematical methods, an increase in efficiency in hospitals and in the delivery of mental health care has been achieved.

Increasing demand on healthcare systems requires innovative resource management to improve patient outcomes while remaining cost-effective. Our research into mathematical modelling techniques has been used by Welsh NHS Health Boards to improve patient outcomes and the delivery of services.

Close collaboration through the Cardiff and NHS Wales innovative researchers-in-residence programme, and via international partnership with University Hospital Munich, enabled efficient design of hospitals, improved the efficiency and effectiveness of mental health outreach teams, and reduced pressure ulcers. This led to significant cost savings in both UK’s NHS and in the German healthcare system.

Publications

Harper PR, Knight VA and Marshall AH (2012). ‘Discrete Conditional Phase-type Models Utilising Classification Trees: Application to Modelling Health Service Capacities’. European Journal of Operational Research 219(3): 522-530. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2011.10.035.

Harper PR, Powell NP and Williams JE (2009). ‘Modelling the Size and Skill-mix of Hospital Nursing Teams’. Journal of the Operational Research Society 61(5): 768-779. doi: 10.1057/jors.2009.43.

Gartner D and Padman R (2019). ‘Flexible Hospital Wide Elective Patient Scheduling’. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 71 (6): 878-892. doi: 10.1080/01605682.2019.1590509.

Gartner D, Zhang Y and Padman R (2019). ‘Reducing clinical workload in the care prescription process: Optimization of order sets’. IMA Journal of Management Mathematics 30(3): 305-321. doi:10.1093/imaman/dpy018.

Edenharter GM, Gartner D and Pförringer D (2017). ‘Decision Support for the Capacity Management of Bronchoscopy Devices: Optimizing the Cost-Efficient Mix of Reusable and Single-Use Devices Through Mathematical Modelling’. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 124(6):1963– 1967. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001729.

Gartner D and Padman R (2017). ‘E-HOSPITAL – A Digital Workbench for Hospital Operations and Services Planning Using Information Technology and Algebraic Languages.’ Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 245: 84-88. PMID: 29295057.