Can a PC-based model assist the management of waiting lists? Observations from a case study

Routine statistics provide only limited support to doctors and managers responsible for the management of surgical waiting lists. Therefore, a study developed a PC-based model that could assist medium-term planning activities that, for example, aim to reduce excessive waiting times. The model allows the user to create scenarios that describe possible future activity levels and calculates how these will affect waiting list behaviour. A key feature of the model is that it recognizes that a waiting list consists of different categories of patients that move through the list at different speeds. The model can be used with routinely available data. The model was tested at three sites where it proved capable of providing valuable insights and assisting doctors and managers to better understand waiting list dynamics. However, although the model quantified the changes required to reduce waiting times, the sites could not always implement these changes owing to resource constraints.