Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Dalhousie University
$52,000.00
Exploiting new and abundant healthcare data to develop novel operational research methodologies
FY 2024-25
Summary
The complexity and challenges associated with healthcare delivery has proved a fruitful area to practice Operational Research (OR) and Industrial Engineering for several decades. Research projects and outputs have advanced the science of these disciplines and improved healthcare systems. The importance of this partnership is poised to grow as healthcare providers invest more in data Analytics (infrastructure and professional human resources) and continue to look to universities to help with their most complex challenges.
Healthcare organizations are creating data at a fascinating pace - the volume of healthcare data doubles approximately every 36 months. This data promises to transform how decisions are made and how healthcare is delivered. There currently exists a disconnect between the amount of data and the amount of improvement being delivered. How to use OR to capitalize on new and abundant sources of healthcare data for making better decisions is the overarching thrust of this research proposal. Specifically, in this proposal we are investigating: 1) how to use data to more accurately describe the system understudy (e.g. patient flow patterns) and 2) how to use data to more accurately describe stochastic variables. As such we can hone our OR models in on better understood system structures with less uncertainty. Through this process, we expect to inform better healthcare decisions, to advance OR methods, and to compare, contrast, and combine Analytics and OR methodologies.
The overall approach to incorporating data, Analytics and OR will provide a framework for other researchers and healthcare organizations looking to capitalize on newly available data. This program of research is motivated by real problems faced by healthcare providers and as such, will continue to positively impact healthcare delivery in Nova Scotia and around the world. As healthcare problems require different OR methods, this research program will continue to advance the science of OR by identifying new problems and developing novel solution approaches.
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
RGPIN-2020-05825
Name nom
Vanberkel, Peter
Department département
Industrial Engineering
Organization id
79
Institution établissement
Dalhousie University
Province en
Nova Scotia
Province fr
Nouvelle-Écosse
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2020
Award amount
52000
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
DISCOVERY RESEARCH
Group fr
RECHERCHE AXÉE SUR LA DÉCOUVERTE
Committee code
1509
Committee name en
Civil, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Committee name fr
Génie civil, industriel et des systèmes
Area of application code
1100
Area of application group en
Health, education and social services
Area of application group fr
Santé publique, éducation et services sociaux
Area of application en
Health, education and social services
Area of application fr
Santé publique, éducation et services sociaux
Research subject code
1601
Research subject group en
Industrial engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie industriel
Research subject en
Operations research and management science
Research subject fr
Recherche opérationnelle et science de la gestion
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Exploiting new and abundant healthcare data to develop novel operational research methodologies
Keywords
operational research; management science; simulation optimization; queueing theory; data analytics; healthcare
Application summary
The complexity and challenges associated with healthcare delivery has proved a fruitful area to practice Operational Research (OR) and Industrial Engineering for several decades. Research projects and outputs have advanced the science of these disciplines and improved healthcare systems. The importance of this partnership is poised to grow as healthcare providers invest more in data Analytics (infrastructure and professional human resources) and continue to look to universities to help with their most complex challenges.
Healthcare organizations are creating data at a fascinating pace - the volume of healthcare data doubles approximately every 36 months. This data promises to transform how decisions are made and how healthcare is delivered. There currently exists a disconnect between the amount of data and the amount of improvement being delivered. How to use OR to capitalize on new and abundant sources of healthcare data for making better decisions is the overarching thrust of this research proposal. Specifically, in this proposal we are investigating: 1) how to use data to more accurately describe the system understudy (e.g. patient flow patterns) and 2) how to use data to more accurately describe stochastic variables. As such we can hone our OR models in on better understood system structures with less uncertainty. Through this process, we expect to inform better healthcare decisions, to advance OR methods, and to compare, contrast, and combine Analytics and OR methodologies.
The overall approach to incorporating data, Analytics and OR will provide a framework for other researchers and healthcare organizations looking to capitalize on newly available data. This program of research is motivated by real problems faced by healthcare providers and as such, will continue to positively impact healthcare delivery in Nova Scotia and around the world. As healthcare problems require different OR methods, this research program will continue to advance the science of OR by identifying new problems and developing novel solution approaches.
