[Waiting lists management model based on timeliness and justice]

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Elective surgery waiting lists are a global health policy challenge, primarily due to demand exceeding supply.
• Traditional waiting list management focuses on the timeliness of medical attention, often neglecting other crucial factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel waiting list management model that simultaneously incorporates timeliness and justice.
• To address the limitations of solely focusing on timeliness in managing surgical waiting lists.

Main Methods:

• Development of a prioritization method based exclusively on medical criteria.
• Creation of computer software for patient registration, prioritization, and waiting list monitoring.
• Implementation and ongoing use of the system across all surgical specialties in a public hospital since 2013.

Main Results:

• Timeliness alone is insufficient for effective elective surgery waiting list management.
• Integrating a justice indicator alongside timeliness is essential for equitable patient care.
• The developed model demonstrated the need to balance both justice and timeliness.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive waiting list management model must balance justice with timeliness of care.
• Hospitals should prioritize initiatives that simultaneously enhance both justice and timeliness indicators.
• The proposed model is adaptable for managing waiting lists in other hospital processes.