Measuring The Productive Efficiency Of Hospitals - A Comparison Of Parametric And Non-parametric Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$61,815.00
Summary
In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technic ....In the face of rising health service costs, an ageing population, and falling private health insurance rates, the efficient use of scarce health service resources has become a central theme in health system reform. Productive (or technical) efficiency is a key aspect of health system reform - that given health services are produced with the minimum feasible amount of resources. Despite the importance of technical efficiency there have been few published studies in Australia which measure technical efficiency in the health sector. This study will develop theoretical and empirical approaches to measuring technical efficiency in the production of hospital services using data from Victoria. Measures of hospital technical efficiency will be developed using two quantitative modelling approaches: stochastic frontier modelling and data envelopment analysis. Results will be used to investigate the impact of patient and hospital characteristics on efficiency, and to identify economies of scale and scope in the provision of hospital services. The robustness of results to changes in variables, the sample of hospitals studied, and model assumptions will be tested, and two techniques will be compared to assess their appropriateness in the health services context which has not previously been done. Criteria for assessing the approaches include the degree to which: assumptions affect the robustness of results; the techniques capture the salient features of health services production; and the techniques produce similar rankings and estimates of inefficiency. The methods used will represent a significant contribution to international knowledge of hospital efficiency measurement, and the relationships between hospital characteristics, casemix, and efficiency. The study wil provide improved measures of hospital efficiency in Victoria, and will inform debate on hospital funding policy.Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. Study the biology of the mud crab (Scylla serrata) and its fishery in Queensland, 2. Study the relative efficiency of various methods of fishing for crabs
Improving Interactions for Digital Browsing of Large Collections. Browsing for information is an established and fundamental part of how people find the knowledge that they need. However, our current understanding of how browsing succeeds or fails is poor. This is because we have limited empirical data, and until recently, the available technologies to create detailed data on what people actually look at and when were very limited. As a result, digital browsing methods have been almost universal ....Improving Interactions for Digital Browsing of Large Collections. Browsing for information is an established and fundamental part of how people find the knowledge that they need. However, our current understanding of how browsing succeeds or fails is poor. This is because we have limited empirical data, and until recently, the available technologies to create detailed data on what people actually look at and when were very limited. As a result, digital browsing methods have been almost universally inferior to real-world counterparts. Given the lack of fundamental theories to inform design, this is unsurprising. After creating a detailed and systematic account of user behaviour in browsing, we will create novel designs that will accelerate the discovery of information, particularly for innovative work.Read moreRead less
SCRC: SCRC: AS-CRC PDRF Project - Quantitative Genetics Post Doctoral Research Scientist (Flinders University And SARDI Joint Appointment)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
This research will address all the background issues relating to the implementation of successful breeding programs for the species cultured by the end users investing in the CRC's Breeding for Profit theme (e.g. trait prioritisation, determination and allocation of resources, genetic parameter estimation, breeding program design, data management and analysis, etc.). The PDRF will be expected to play a significant role in developing the project applications for CST, ABFA and AAGA and be involve ....This research will address all the background issues relating to the implementation of successful breeding programs for the species cultured by the end users investing in the CRC's Breeding for Profit theme (e.g. trait prioritisation, determination and allocation of resources, genetic parameter estimation, breeding program design, data management and analysis, etc.). The PDRF will be expected to play a significant role in developing the project applications for CST, ABFA and AAGA and be involved in the development of strategic projects in the Theme as these develop and then be a lead scientist undertaking the designated research, in association with experts in aquaculture genetics and also from other disciplines (e.g. nutrition, aquatic animal health, larval rearing and systems design). The proposed project is likely to comprise a range of research activities focussed on the estimation of genetic parameters, the management of selection programs and the estimation of genetic gains. There will also be a range of complementary research activities addressing key constraints to optimisation of breeding programs.
The contributions of this PDRF will be directed at the CRC’s Program 1 – Value Chain Profitability, Outcome 1 – Increased profitability and industry value through efficient delivery of Australian seafood to the consumer; and Output 1.3 - removal or reduction of key production constraints in selected aquaculture systems. The focus in this area will be on milestones 1.3.1 (new genetic tools and/or appropriate breeding strategies developed for genetic management and improvement of at least two aquaculture species); 1.3.2 (genetic parameters estimated for key commercial traits; genetic improvement programs designed and implemented for at least two aquaculture species) and 1.3.5 (production efficiency gains from genetic, health management and nutritional interventions quantified to inform long-term strategies and estimate commercial benefits).Read moreRead less
SCRC: Seafood CRC: Review Of Available Software Tools That Can Be Used To Support Selective Breeding Programs In The Seafood CRC
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Some examples of useful software tools needed to support breeding programs in the CRC would be: •Models to simulate selective breeding programs and to determine economic weights of key traits and optimise the breeding program design accordingly. • Relational database systems for effective, reliable recording, storage and output of relational data (pedigree, phenotypes, genotypes etc.) • Pedigree analysis software or procedures • Genetic analysis software or procedures • Soft ....Some examples of useful software tools needed to support breeding programs in the CRC would be: •Models to simulate selective breeding programs and to determine economic weights of key traits and optimise the breeding program design accordingly. • Relational database systems for effective, reliable recording, storage and output of relational data (pedigree, phenotypes, genotypes etc.) • Pedigree analysis software or procedures • Genetic analysis software or procedures • Software that assists development of multiple trait selection indices incorporating economic weights for key target traits • Software that helps guide mate selection (including optimum contribution selection tools)
Each breeding program in the Seafood CRC will ultimately need to know: •What type of software do other established breeding programs (in aquaculture and other primary production) require and use? • What software is already available, from where and from who? What problems do the tools address and what do they enable? • Which software tools are applicable or easily adapted to aquaculture? • What level of adaptation would be required for the adoption of existing tools into aquaculture and what resources (skills) would this need? • Which tools could address common problems across different aquaculture sectors? • What level of skill is needed to operate the software? • Does the software have good documentation and do the developers offer support services? • Is the software freely available, available at a price, available to partners or maintained as a trade secret? • Might it be useful to link to other breeding companies or organizations (aquatic, livestock or forestry) to access existing tools or expertise for developing such tools? • Are there initiatives underway or being planned that aim to develop useful new software for aquaculture and might the CRC be able to link to such initiatives?Read moreRead less