Designing and evaluating a health care delivery system through the use of interactive computer graphics

Abstract

During the past decade an awareness has emerged for the necessity of planning the efficient delivery of regional health care services. This paper focuses on the implementation of an analytical tool to aid health planners in evaluating current and prescribing future health care facility and service locations. The analysis was performed under the rubric of an interactive computer graphic approach permitting optimal man-machine interaction. Although a considerable theoretical and methodological literature already exists in this area, the solution techniques tend to be mathematically complex and highly specific. The proposed system will place in the hands of an experienced decision-maker, the health planner, a set of easily manipulated models, supported by a set of powerful mathematical tools, which provide flexibility for changing planning objectives, results that are easily interpreted, and a relatively low cost technique.