Operations management has an important role in improving healthcare. Some of its core concepts and tools, such as Lean and statistical process control, have their own Elements in this series. In this Element, the authors offer an overview of three major topics in healthcare operations management: capacity and demand, focus, and people and process. They demonstrate how queuing theory reveals counterintuitive insights about capacity utilisation and waiting times, examine how strategic focus can achieve significant productivity gains while creating potential inequities, and explore why process improvements must account for human behaviours like multitasking and workarounds. Using practical examples, the authors illustrate both the critical role and the limitations of operations management against a backdrop of high demand and resource constraints. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.
