Jack Powers
Optimisation of Surgical Waiting List Management
In the Australian public health system, there is often a long waiting list for patients to access elective surgeries due to high demand and the capacity of the health system. Currently, patients are placed on a waiting list and assigned a nationally defined classification indicating the urgency of the surgery, determined from a range of clinical factors. However, this classification process can be subjective and up to the discretion of the treating health professional. The project will investigate and examine current practices in surgical scheduling and waiting list management and develop a discrete-event simulation model for the current three category system using a combination of supplied and generated data. The long-term goal is to then evaluate and compare alternative scheduling and waiting-list management strategies to achieve better outcomes for patients and a more equitable system.
Jack Powers
Queensland University of Technology
Jack Powers is a final-year undergraduate student at Queensland University of Technology graduating at the end of 2020. He is studying a Bachelor of Mathematics, majoring in operations research and data science. Jack is interested in applying operations research and optimisation techniques to improve the health care industry and intends to pursue a master’s degree in 2021. Outside of university, Jack is a football (soccer) referee officiating in the Queensland National Premier League. He aspires to one day officiate in the A-League.
