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What is a ‘generic’ hospital model?—a comparison of ‘generic’ and ‘specific’ hospital models of emergency patient flows

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Abstract

The paper addresses the question in the title via a survey of experienced healthcare modellers and an extensive literature review. It has two objectives.

  1. 1.

    To compare the characteristics of ‘generic’ and ‘specific’ models and their success in hospitals for emergency patients

  2. 2.

    To learn lessons about the design, validation and implementation of models of flows of emergency patients through acute hospitals

First the survey and some key papers lead to a proposed ‘spectrum of genericity’, consisting of four levels. We focus on two of these levels, distinguished from each other by their purpose. Secondly modelling work on the flow of emergency patient flows through and between A&E, Bed Management, Surgery, Intensive Care and Diagnostics is then reviewed. Finally the review is used to provide a much more comprehensive comparison of ‘generic’ and ‘specific’ models, distinguishing three types of genericity and identifying 24 important features of models and the associated modelling process. Many features are common across model types, but there are also important distinctions, with implications for model development.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the knowledgeable and insightful responses to our email survey received from John Blake, Tom Bowen, Mike Carter, Ruth Davies, Ayesha Dost, Paul Forte, Steve Gallivan, Jeff Griffiths, Paul Harper, Stephen Lorrimer, John Macfarlane, Penny Mullen, Simon Peck, Martin Pitt, Nathan Proudlove, Chris Sherlaw-Johnson, Martin Utley, Christos Vasilakis, Jan Vissers and Janet Williams.

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  1. Department of Management Science, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YX, UK

    Adrian Fletcher & Dave Worthington

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  1. Adrian Fletcher
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Correspondence to Adrian Fletcher.

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Fletcher, A., Worthington, D. What is a ‘generic’ hospital model?—a comparison of ‘generic’ and ‘specific’ hospital models of emergency patient flows. Health Care Manag Sci 12, 374–391 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10729-009-9108-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10729-009-9108-9

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