Optimal Hospital Readmissions and Resources Allocation in the Presence of a Pandemic: The Case of COVID-19

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In their quest to avoid the devastating experiences of certain countries, the Canadian health care system as well as stakeholders across most countries have focused their contingency plans for COVID-19 on trying to avoid shortages in ICU beds in intensive care, ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE). This has necessarily shifted attention and resources from primary care. Given the state of emergency and the restrictions implemented through the COVID-19 safety measures, primary health care provision has been impacted negatively. Coupled with the strain on both medical professionals and health care managers and the speed and dynamic nature of the changes, it has become very challenging to deal with complex operational efficiency matters such as hospital readmissions and resource allocations. It is thus our goal in this partnership research to address the complex problems of patient readmission and resource allocations during and immediately after the pandemic time frame. 3M plans to utilize the research outcomes outlined in this proposal to adapt its current software tools and algorithms to better handle extreme events, such as pandemics, with a focus on the Canadian health care system. This research will enhance effective decision making within hospital stakeholders during and beyond the pandemic context.