Operations Research Improving Care at the BC Cancer Agency

Scott here, taking a brief break at Bust a Move. Looks good so far: great event, even better cause! You can register now for next year at bustamove.ca.

This week I am off to Geneva for a meeting with experts on needs analysis from around the world. Together, we will be looking at better ways to plan for radiotherapy (RT) resources and make sure those that need it can get it. This is an area of research of the team for Operations Research in Cancer Care, a group I work with at the BC Cancer Agency.

In one project, we have looked at better ways of configuring cancer services in B.C. We have been modeling the needs of cancer patients throughout the province to determine where and how to distribute RT resources across the province in a way that minimizes travel for patients. The Operations Research team has many other great projects ongoing that are improving care for patients with cancer in B.C. For example: shortening notification times for patients getting chemotherapy, investigating ways to minimize waits in the outpatient clinics, and more efficiently booking patients on radiotherapy machines. You can read more about the ORIC team at http://www.orincancercare.org/cihrteam/.

I will tell you more about another project with a tool called ChemoSmart Book next week. 

Thanks for reading,
Scott