| Article ID: | iaor19991856 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Volume: | 10 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page Number: | 22 |
| End Page Number: | 27 |
| Publication Date: | Oct 1997 |
| Journal: | OR Insight |
| Authors: | Crofts Paul, Barlow Judith, Edwards Richard |
| Keywords: | simulation: applications |
Previous outpatient services have focused on patient waiting times in-clinic, for which the Patients' Charter of the UK sets a 30 minute limit. But the Patients' Charter also puts limits on the time a patient waits for first outpatient appointment after referral. A computer simulation program has been developed which can model the new referral waiting list of any ambulatory care facility. The package has been applied in a case-study clinic for the purpose of predicting the impact of various scenarios on new referral waiting time.