Research by Jonathan Patrick to Provide Model of Community Care Services

Research by professor Jonathan Patrick of the Telfer School and M.Sc. System Sciences candidate Pedram Noghami will help decision makers determine the necessary capacity in a network of community services, with the goal of ensuring smooth patient flow, with minimal blocking. Conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long Term Care (CLRI) at Bruyère Continuing Care, the project involves modelling and simulating the flow of patients between acute care hospitals and community services designed to serve the needs of continuing care patients.

A capacity plan is being developed for these community services, including long-term care, supportive housing, rehabilitation services, home services and complex continuing care. The aim is to facilitate patient flow from the acute care setting to community care and to limit excessive wait times for clients accessing these services directly from the community. The research will be supported by a $50,000 funding allocation from Bruyère Research Institute and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care covering 2012-2014.

Jonathan Patrick is an associate professor in healthcare management and a member of the Telfer faculty since 2007. His research applies the methods of operations research to improve the efficiency of health care management.