Healthcare planning and its potential role increasing operational efficiency in the health sector: A viewpoint

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider a number of issues around the poor adoption of healthcare simulation models and reflect whether there has been a broad failure of academic healthcare simulation modellers to build models that reflect real healthcare problems as acknowledged by healthcare stakeholders. This paper will also review the role of healthcare planners within the health sector and propose that they are well suited to act as change agents to improve the adoption of simulation within the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviewed academic evidence around poor adoption of simulation modelling in healthcare, including differences to other sectors, its size and complexity, stakeholder issues and current and future challenges to improve operational efficiency. This paper also reviewed the role of healthcare planning and its valuable links with health stakeholders, suggesting that these links could be exploited to increase simulation modelling within the healthcare sector to improve operational efficiency.

Findings

This paper highlights the strong links between healthcare planning and the healthcare stakeholders and proposes that healthcare planning can play a key role in adoption of healthcare simulation modelling to achieve operational efficiency improvements.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the potential link between healthcare planning and healthcare stakeholders to achieve operational improvements within the health sector.

Citation

Virtue, A., Chaussalet, T. and Kelly, J. (2013), "Healthcare planning and its potential role increasing operational efficiency in the health sector: A viewpoint", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 26 No. 1/2, pp. 8-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410391311289523