Fractured systems: a literature review of OR/MS methods applied to orthopaedic care settings and treatments

Howells, Matthew, Harper, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7894-4907, Palmer, Geraint ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7865-6964 and Gartner, Daniel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4361-8559 2024. Fractured systems: a literature review of OR/MS methods applied to orthopaedic care settings and treatments. Health Systems 13 (3) , pp. 151-176. 10.1080/20476965.2023.2264348

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Orthopaedic systems are facing an impending wave of increased pressures as a result of global ageing populations. This is compounded by the current stresses these services face, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing burden of musculoskeletal conditions. It is vital that measures are taken to alleviate the pressures on these systems, to ensure timely and quality access to care for patients. This literature review presents a taxonomic classification of the applications of Operational Research and Management Science (OR/MS) methodologies to orthopaedic care settings and treatments, covering the general, medical, and methodological context of each paper. Our structured search identified 492 relevant publications that have been included in our analysis. The results found a literature largely dominated by cost analysis applications, typically utilising Markov models or decision trees. Key gaps identified in this review include the lack of holistic modelling of orthopaedic systems and pathways, and limited applications to resource and capacity planning. The implications of our review are that researchers, healthcare professionals and managers can develop a research agenda to address these gaps, and enhance decision support in orthopaedics.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Mathematics
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	2047-6965
Funders:	EPSRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 October 2023
Date of Acceptance:	20 September 2023
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2024 10:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163256

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item