COVID-19: Optimizing Operations of Cancer Centres during the Pandemic

COVID-19：大流行期间优化癌症中心的运营

• 批准号: 551987-2020
• 负责人: Mahmoudzadeh, Houra
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=703267
• 关键词: COVID; 19; Optimizing; Operations; Cancer

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the operations of hospitals worldwide. While many non-COVID-related operations are cancelled or postponed to a later date, some need to be continued. Among the most important operations that are continued are treatments for cancer patients who are also among the most vulnerable of the population with regards to the COVID-19 disease due to their weakened immune system. Several studies suggest that better provisions should be made to reduce the risk of infection for patients with cancer or cancer survivors. This proposal focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of cancer centres, with the goal of minimizing overall disease transmission, with a particular focus on radiation therapy (RT) departments. Since COVID-19 can remain asymptomatic for a long time and there is a high probability of disease transmission during this time, it is extremely hard to identify infected patients and normal patient isolation protocols cannot be applied. It is also impossible to test all patients due to capacity and time limitations. The goal of this partnership is to provide simulation, scheduling, and optimization tools that provide guidelines for optimal operations of cancer centres during the COVID-19 pandemic, under uncertainty in identifying infected patients and staff. Using historical data on patient arrivals, staff schedules, patient care paths, and pandemic progression, we provide insights into what cancer centres need to do under different scenarios of the disease outbreak among current and future cancer patients in the system. The potential outcomes of this study are patient and staff scheduling policies that would minimize the level of disease transmission for patients and staff in a cancer centre, prevent potential outbreaks in such centres, and reduce the risk to cancer patients who are amongst the most vulnerable.

COVID-19 大流行严重影响了世界各地医院的运营。虽然许多与新冠疫情无关的手术被取消或推迟到以后的日期，但有些手术仍需要继续进行。持续进行的最重要的手术之一是对癌症患者的治疗，这些患者由于免疫系统较弱，也是最容易感染 COVID-19 疾病的人群之一。多项研究表明，应采取更好的措施来降低癌症患者或癌症幸存者的感染风险。该提案重点关注 COVID-19 大流行对癌症中心运营的影响，目标是最大限度地减少总体疾病传播，特别关注放射治疗 (RT) 部门。由于COVID-19可以在很长一段时间内保持无症状，并且在此期间疾病传播的可能性很高，因此识别感染患者极其困难，无法应用正常的患者隔离方案。由于能力和时间限制，也不可能对所有患者进行测试。此次合作的目标是提供模拟、调度和优化工具，为癌症中心在 COVID-19 大流行期间、在识别受感染患者和工作人员的不确定性的情况下实现最佳运营提供指导。利用有关患者到达、工作人员安排、患者护理路径和大流行进展的历史数据，我们深入了解癌症中心在系统中当前和未来癌症患者疾病爆发的不同情况下需要做什么。这项研究的潜在结果是患者和工作人员的调度政策，该政策将最大限度地减少癌症中心患者和工作人员的疾病传播水平，防止此类中心潜在的疫情爆发，并降低最脆弱的癌症患者的风险。