Belinda Spratt

A real-time reactive framework for the surgical case sequencing problem

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 26-10-2021

DOI: 10.1007/S10696-019-09371-6

An integrated rolling horizon approach to increase operating theatre efficiency

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 23-05-2021

DOI: 10.1007/S10951-020-00655-6

Personalised Emails in First-Year Mathematics: Exploring a Scalable Strategy for Improving Student Experiences and Outcomes

Publisher: Queensland University of Technology

Date: 15-03-2021

DOI: 10.5204/SSJ.1543

Abstract: Widening participation initiatives in higher education have grown overall student numbers while also increasing the ersity of student cohorts. Consequently, enhancing student experiences and outcomes has become increasingly challenging. This study implemented personalised emails in two first-year mathematics courses as a scalable strategy for supporting students with erse needs. Impact on student experience and outcomes was assessed through surveying and statistical comparisons to previous cohorts. It was found that students perceived the personalised emails favourably and believed the intervention would contribute to them achieving better grades. This translated to a statistically significant improvement in both student experience and academic performance in one of the courses. The results imply that personalised emails are well-suited to courses taken in students’ first semesters of university study, aiding those transitioning to the higher education environment by fostering feelings of belonging, supporting effective engagement, and easing navigation of university systems and processes.

Waiting list management through master surgical schedules: A case study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.ORHC.2016.07.002

REACTIVE OPERATING THEATRE SCHEDULING

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 15-08-2018

DOI: 10.1017/S0004972718000631

Analysis of uncertainty in the surgical department: durations, requests and cancellations

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2019

DOI: 10.1071/AH18082

Abstract: Objective Analytical techniques are being implemented with increasing frequency to improve the management of surgical departments and to ensure that decisions are well informed. Often these analytical techniques rely on the validity of underlying statistical assumptions, including those around choice of distribution when modelling uncertainty. The aim of the present study was to determine a set of suitable statistical distributions and provide recommendations to assist hospital planning staff, based on three full years of historical data. Methods Statistical analysis was performed to determine the most appropriate distributions and models in a variety of surgical contexts. Data from 2013 to 2015 were collected from the surgical department at a large Australian public hospital. Results A log-normal distribution approximation of the total duration of surgeries in an operating room is appropriate when considering probability of overtime. Surgical requests can be modelled as a Poisson process with rate dependent on urgency and day of the week. In idual cancellations could be modelled as Bernoulli trials, with the probability of patient-, staff- and resource-based cancellations provided herein. Conclusions The analysis presented herein can be used to ensure that assumptions surrounding planning and scheduling in the surgical department are valid. Understanding the stochasticity in the surgical department may result in the implementation of more realistic decision models. What is known about the topic? Many surgical departments rely on crude estimates and general intuition to predict surgical duration, surgical requests (both elective and non-elective) and cancellations. What does this paper add? This paper describes how statistical analysis can be performed to validate common assumptions surrounding surgical uncertainty. The paper also provides a set of recommended distributions and associated parameters that can be used to model uncertainty in a large public hospital’s surgical department. What are the implications for practitioners? The insights on surgical uncertainty provided here will prove valuable for administrative staff who want to incorporate uncertainty in their surgical planning and scheduling decisions.

Queensland University Of Technology

Location: Australia

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Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP180100542

Start Date: 05-2020

End Date: 12-2023

Amount: $417,440.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP200100468

Start Date: 08-2021

End Date: 07-2024

Amount: $588,955.00

Funder: Australian Research Council