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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Infinite-server queueing models of demand in healthcare
T2 - A review of applications and ideas for further work
AU - Worthington, David
AU - Utley, M.
AU - Suen, Daniel
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - Despite the apparently unrealistic assumption of infinite resources, infinite-server queueing models have played a central role in the development of queueing theory and its applications. Healthcare modelling applications have certainly benefited from these models, where arguably their greatest importance has been to provide the basis for the analysis of “offered load” in systems with single or multiple nodes with multiple servers and time-varying arrivals. In this paper, we provide a review of major healthcare applications to date, identifying and consolidating the underpinning theoretical results and commenting on the nature of the applications. We conclude by identifying potential further healthcare applications, their relationships to existing theory and methods, and the need for new theory and methods, including the use of infinite-server models alongside other modelling methodologies. © 2019, © 2019 Operational Research Society.
AB - Despite the apparently unrealistic assumption of infinite resources, infinite-server queueing models have played a central role in the development of queueing theory and its applications. Healthcare modelling applications have certainly benefited from these models, where arguably their greatest importance has been to provide the basis for the analysis of “offered load” in systems with single or multiple nodes with multiple servers and time-varying arrivals. In this paper, we provide a review of major healthcare applications to date, identifying and consolidating the underpinning theoretical results and commenting on the nature of the applications. We conclude by identifying potential further healthcare applications, their relationships to existing theory and methods, and the need for new theory and methods, including the use of infinite-server models alongside other modelling methodologies. © 2019, © 2019 Operational Research Society.
KW - health care
KW - infinite-server queues
KW - Queueing models
KW - Health care
KW - Queueing networks
KW - Health care application
KW - Healthcare modelling
KW - Infinite server queueing model
KW - Infinite server Queues
KW - Modelling methodology
KW - Multiple servers
KW - Queueing model
KW - Theory and methods
KW - Queueing theory
U2 - 10.1080/01605682.2019.1609878
DO - 10.1080/01605682.2019.1609878
M3 - Journal article
VL - 71
SP - 1145
EP - 1160
JO - Journal of the Operational Research Society
JF - Journal of the Operational Research Society
SN - 0160-5682
IS - 8
ER -