Develop Theories and Methodologies for Improved Treatment Times in Integrated Emergency Department Systems

急诊科（艾德）努力有效地为特定疾病提供治疗。通常，治疗延迟的根本原因是艾德的上游或下游，因为医疗保健系统是相互关联的。此外，延迟治疗的后果往往发生在ED的下游。因此，我们需要更好地了解这些外部因素，并开发考虑艾德之外因素的模型和模拟，以充分表征问题。通过这项研究计划，我的目标是开发理论和方法，以大大改善治疗时间，从而获得更好的患者结果。 开展这项研究计划的方法将有三个关键主题：1。通过数据分析和可视化了解外部因素对艾德治疗效率的影响-健康数据可以帮助我们更好地了解与上游和/或下游变量的相互联系的细节。健康数据越来越容易获得，通过患者层面的数据链接，可以获得丰富的大数据集。数据分析和新颖的交互式数据可视化可以揭示上游和下游变量相互作用的模式。通过开发统计模型，新颖的交互式可视化和数据分析可以揭示与外部变量的关联。开发数学模型，以最大限度地减少艾德治疗时间-将开发使用运筹学方法的数学模型，以最大限度地减少中风和心脏病发作的艾德治疗时间。建模将包括：线性规划，非线性规划和随机模型。这些优化模型可以为特定疾病的艾德治疗提供新的基准。3.开发包含外部因素的特定疾病的艾德治疗过程的计算机模拟-将为特定疾病（如中风和心脏病发作）的艾德治疗过程开发离散事件计算机模拟模型。这些模拟将用于在实施变更之前测试各种场景，以更好地了解变更对治疗效率的影响。该研究项目的主要成果将包括新颖的交互式可视化、数学模型和精确的模拟，以优化特定疾病的艾德治疗时间。在第一个5年，将有5个硕士和2个博士生在这个研究计划的具体方面工作。

Emergency Departments (ED) struggle to deliver treatments to specific diseases efficiently. Often the root cause of the treatment delays are upstream or downstream of the ED because the health care system is interconnected. Furthermore, the consequences of delayed treatment often occur significantly downstream of the ED. Therefore, we need to better understand these external factors and develop models and simulations that consider factors that are outside of the ED to fully characterize the issues. Through this research program, I aim to develop theories and methodologies to substantially improve treatment times leading to better patient outcomes. The methodology to carry out this research program will have three key themes: 1. Understand the association of external factors on efficiency of ED treatment through data analytics and visualizations - Health data can help us to better understand the details of interconnectedness with upstream and/or downstream variables. Health data is increasingly becoming available, and with data linkages at the patient level, it is possible to obtain rich and big datasets. Data analytics and novel interactive visualizations of the data can reveal patterns of the interplay of upstream and downstream variables. Novel interactive visualizations and data analytics through the development of statistical models can reveal the association with external variables 2. Develop mathematical models to minimize ED treatment times - Mathematical models using operations research methodology will be developed to minimize time to ED treatment for stroke and heart attack. The modeling will include: linear programming, non-linear programming, and stochastic models. These optimization models can provide new benchmarks for ED treatment of specific diseases. 3. Develop computer simulation of the ED treatment process for specific diseases incorporating external factors - Discrete-event computer simulation models will be developed for the ED treatment process of specific diseases such as stroke and heart attack. These simulations will be used to test various scenarios prior to implementing the changes to better understand the effects of the changes on treatment efficiency. The key outputs from this research program will include novel interactive visualizations, mathematical models, and accurate simulations that optimize ED treatment times for specific diseases. In the first 5 years, there will be 5 Master's and 2 PhD students working on specific aspects of this research program.