Dynamic modelling of national healthcare system

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discover and structurally represent the overall possibilities and limitations of quality phenomenon in national health-care sector. The authors consider this domain as a whole and also deal with cross-sector relations, which are usually simplified or omitted. Design/methodology/approach – Presented problem represents a macro-level strategy planning task. The authors use the tools of system dynamics and the basic methodology consists of four generic stages, including problem formulation, conceptual specifications, computational modeling and experimentation. Findings – The authors propose architecture of quality-driven simulation model of national health-care system, validated by simple computational prototype. It covers all major players in this sector, i.e. patients, hospitals, government and insurers. Practical implications – The proposed model can be very useful, especially for current and future policymakers, as a tool for decision-making. They can create better decisions based on the knowledge of a wide variety of factors influencing the system and thus achieve the public health objectives more effectively. Originality/value – The innovativeness of presented research is based on an assumption that strategic concentration on quality in health-care sector can solve the majority of its current bottlenecks. According to the interpretation of the authors, qualitative aspects include primarily the non-clinical activities, such as management, marketing, external relations or staff development.