Evaluation of the resources required for the implementation of a new therapeutic protocol: the Institut Gustave...

All treatments give rise to a sequence of events which represent the work-load. Before implementing a new treatment, it is essential to identify the sequence of the induced events. Their cost must be evaluated to ensure that it can be undertaken, and if so, for the necessary logistics to be set up. It must be stressed that the means required are not solely financial, but also involve the availability of an appropriate infrastructure where required, which can include: an increase in staff, additional equipment or premises, a broadening of working hours such as, for example, extending the activity of some laboratories over the weekend. At the Gustave-Roussy Institute, we are now developing the method set out in this paper, which should enable us to rapidly forecast the consequences of any modification in the medical approach to our patients. It is based on the evaluation of "consumption" of the staff, premises, equipment and drugs required, in terms of time.