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Start Over Author "Hardwidge, C." Journal journal of the royal society of medicine
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2. Is the National Health Service at the edge of chaos?

Author

Papadopoulos MC, Hadjitheodossiou M, Chrysostomou C, Hardwidge C, and Bell BA

Subjects
Ambulatory Care organization & administration, Ambulatory Care standards, Humans, Nonlinear Dynamics, Referral and Consultation organization & administration, Referral and Consultation standards, State Medicine organization & administration, United Kingdom, State Medicine standards, Waiting Lists
Abstract

We used chaos and complexity theory to analyse waiting-list data (1998-2001) pertaining to over 20 000 National Health Service (NHS) patients from general surgical, orthopaedic and neurosurgical units across England. Plots of frequency versus quarter-to-quarter change in waiting times revealed a power relation which seems independent of surgical specialty and hospital location. One interpretation of these findings is that, for the period in question, the NHS was a system at the edge of chaos. This hypothesis might explain why waiting times have resisted attempts at shortening.

Published
2001
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