The most difficult part of making decisions in the health care field on all levels (national, regional, institutional, patient) is linked to the very complexity of the system itself, to the intrinsic uncertainty involved and its dynamic nature. This requires not only the ability to analyze and interpret a large amount of information but also arrange it so that it becomes a cognitive base for appropriate decision-making. Moreover, decisions in the health care field are subjected to many challenges and constraints: fast change and uncertain outcomes, aging population, increasing citizen expectations, equity considerations and limited resources. Operations research, statistical and economic-related quantitative methods supply these decisions making tools and methodology.
The contributed book presents a collection of applications to concrete situations detailing the problem area, the methodology employed, the implementation and results. Each topic addressed in the book will be structured in such a way that an interdisciplinary and wide audience will be able to use the materials presented.
As an example the book chapters will address health policies issues, planning health services, epidemiology and disease modelling, home-care modelling, logistics in health care, capacity planning, quality and appropriateness.
From the book reviews:
"This text is composed of 13 chapters that focus on applications of quantitative strategies in the area of health care research. ? All the chapters are structured well and are consistent in style and presentation. Each paper begins with an abstract and ends with a list of references. ? The book is transdisciplinary in nature; it will serve as a good reference to professionals and policy makers working in health care." (S. E. Ahmed, Technometrics, Vol. 56 (1), January, 2014)
"This book is a collation of quantitative methodologies that focus on operational research, statistical and economic decision-making, and problems in the field of healthcare. The authors strive to deliver a book that collects extant issues in healthcare and focuses on practical problem-solving applications for these issues. The book meets this objective admirably. ? the book is written for an interdisciplinary and wide audience. ? This is a well-written and comprehensive book that would complement any healthcare manager's (or evaluator's) reference library." (Eric P. Matthews, Doody's Book Reviews, July, 2013)
