SPARC - Strategic Promotion of Ageing Research Capacity

Developing capacity for evaluating proposed policies in the care for older patients through computer simulations

Dr Christos Vasilakis, Westminster University
12 months, £38,838
Poster: Modelling Health Systems
Executive Summary: Modelling Health Systems: Delivering Care to Older Patients with Hip Fracture
Keywords: Care for Older People, Policy Evaluation, Simulation Study, Process Mapping

Fractured neck of femur, or hip fracture, is associated with osteoporosis and thus the incident rate is significantly higher in older people. In the UK, the care for older patients with hip fracture has been identified as an area with the highest potential for improving the quality and value of clinical care through changes in the organisation of care delivery. One of the challenges is the ability to identify the organisational changes that will lead to the desired improvements. Computer simulation is a common scientific approach to evaluating the likely response of a health system to a range of suggested changes. Under this approach, the progress of patients through the care delivery processes is imitated by a computer model. Thus, the description of the relevant care delivery processes needs to be available before the computer model can be developed. This study utilises recent developments in information technology to describe the diagnostic, treatment and administrative processes involved in the care for older patients presenting with symptoms of hip fracture to an NHS Acute Hospital. The knowledge gained from this study, in addition to informing future simulation studies, will help guide best practice in preparing an effective integrated care pathway and potentially lead to improvements in patient outcomes and satisfaction, such as the potential for survival, recovery, and independence after the fracture.