Booking systems for elective services: the New Zealand experience.

Booking Systems for Elective Services in New Zealand: Literature scan to identify any ethical issues of national significance

A messy reality: an analysis of New Zealand's elective surgery scoring system via media sources, 200–2006

Waiting lists for elective procedures are a characteristic feature of tax-funded universal health systems. New Zealand has gained a reputation for its 'booking system' for waiting list management, introduced in the early-1990s. The New Zealand system uses criteria to 'score' and then 'book' qualifying patients for surgery. This article aims to (i) describe key issues focused on by the media, (i...

Evaluation of booking systems for elective surgery using simulation experiments.

OBJECTIVE This study compared two methods of booking elective surgery - booking from wait lists and pre-booking surgery dates at the time of decision to operate - in terms of cancellations of elective procedures and time to surgery. METHODS The authors conducted simulation experiments with group randomized design, in which the unit of allocation was the hospital and the units of analysis were...

Decentralisation of Health Services in Fiji: A Decision Space Analysis

Background Decentralisation aims to bring services closer to the community and has been advocated in the health sector to improve quality, access and equity, and to empower local agencies, increase innovation and efficiency and bring healthcare and decision-making as close as possible to where people live and work. Fiji has attempted two approaches to decentralisation. The current approach refl...

Development of a Web-based surgical booking and informed consent system to reduce the potential for error and improve communication.

BACKGROUND The decision to perform an elective procedure often originates during an office visit between surgeon and patient. Several administrative tasks follow, including scheduling or "booking" of the case and obtaining informed consent. These processes require communicating accurate information regarding diagnosis, procedure, and other patient-specific details necessary for the safe and eff...