{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T11:08:36Z","timestamp":1788865716599,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785110400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785110400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Planning &amp;amp; Management"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Healthcare providers worldwide face challenges in maintaining a delicate balance between rising demand and limited resources. Decision\u2010makers often struggle with planning and implementing new services, leading to costly consequences and hindering efficiency, patient outcomes, and staff well\u2010being. Current systems lack a comprehensive modelling approach that encompasses all aspects of the hospital and fails to generate crucial outputs. Moreover, these tools often require expert modelers, limiting their usability for end users such as service managers, clinicians, and management. To address this gap, a user\u2010friendly decision support tool (DST) is developed that empowers key decision\u2010makers to assess the impact of interventions across all hospital operations. Our DST utilises a discrete event simulation model, encompassing specialties and interconnections among hospital services. The model incorporates a dataset of 360 input parameters and statistical distributions, providing a holistic understanding of operations. Through scenarios from 2023\u20132027, our DST generated diverse outputs, including activity levels, bed and clinic requirements, theatre utilization, and financial implications. Notably, implementing a virtual ward reduced patient backlogs and eased strain on resources from 113% to 80%. Our adaptable DST enables informed decision\u2010making, enhancing patient outcomes and optimising resource utilization. This user\u2010friendly tool revitalises hospital operations for improved efficiency and effectiveness.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/hpm.70120","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T09:46:27Z","timestamp":1785145587000},"page":"967-981","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Streamlining Hospital Planning: A User\u2010Friendly Decision Support Tool for Enhanced Healthcare Delivery"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"41","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9087-7169","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eren","family":"Demir","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hertfordshire Business School University of Hertfordshire  Hatfield UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. \u201cUniversal Health Coverage (UHC) \u201d2022 [accessed 18 April 2023]: [Online] https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\u2010room\/fact\u2010sheets\/detail\/universal\u2010health\u2010coverage\u2010(uhc."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","unstructured":"The Kings Fund. \u201cNHS Staffing Shortages: Why Do Politicians Struggle to Give the NHS the Staff It Needs? \u201d2022 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/www.kingsfund.org.uk\/publications\/nhs\u2010staffing\u2010shortages."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_4_1","unstructured":"Nuffield Trust. \u201cThe NHS Workforce in Numbers \u201d2022 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk\/resource\/the\u2010nhs\u2010workforce\u2010in\u2010numbers."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_5_1","unstructured":"Nuffield Trust. \u201cUnderstanding the Impact of Brexit on Health in the UK \u201d2020 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2020\u201012\/1608656718_impact\u2010of\u2010brexit\u2010on\u2010health\u2010web\u2010nuffield\u2010trust.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_6_1","unstructured":"Royal College of Nursing.Investing in Patient Safety and Outcomes 2022: [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/www.rcn.org.uk\/Professional\u2010Development\/publications\/investing\u2010in\u2010patient\u2010safety\u2010and\u2010outcomes\u2010uk\u2010pub\u2010010\u2010567."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_7_1","unstructured":"Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.Impact of the COVID\u201019 Pandemic on the Hospital and Outpatient Clinician Workforce 2022: [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/aspe.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/9cc72124abd9ea25d58a22c7692dccb6\/aspe\u2010covid\u2010workforce\u2010report.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_8_1","unstructured":"European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. \u201cState of Health in the EU: Companion Report 2021 \u201d2021 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/eurohealthobservatory.who.int\/publications\/m\/state\u2010of\u2010health\u2010in\u2010the\u2010eu\u2010companion\u2010report\u20102021."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_9_1","unstructured":"House of Commons UK Parliament. \u201cPressures on England's NHS Before and After the Pandemic \u201d2023 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk\/documents\/CBP\u20107281\/CBP\u20107281.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2022.114975"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_11_1","unstructured":"NHS England. \u201cWorkforce Planning and Resource Management \u201d2022 : [Online] [accessed 18 April 2023] https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/mat\u2010transformation\/matrons\u2010handbook\/workforce\u2010planning\u2010and\u2010resource\u2010management\/."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40258\u2010022\u201000785\u20102"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/ihj\u20102019\u2010000001"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_14_1","volume-title":"Integrated Health Services","author":"WHO","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_15_1","article-title":"Integrated Care Around the World: Examples to Help Improve (Primary) Health Care in Poland","author":"Stein K. V.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Warsaw: National Health Fund, Central Office, Department of Analysis and Strategy"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_16_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. \u201cWorking for Health and Growth: Investing in the Health Workforce\u2014High\u2010Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth \u201d2016 accessed 04 June 2024 https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789241511308."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/for.2541"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eswa.2018.06.017"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/inr.12785"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jan.13284"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3310\/hsdr08160"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10729\u2010017\u20109413\u20107"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cie.2018.04.047"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejor.2017.01.026"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbi.2014.11.010"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjqs\u20102015\u2010004430"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913\u2010018\u20103456\u20104"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_28_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/jors.2009.150"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_29_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/amiajnl\u20102010\u2010000075"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/jors.2010.20"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_31_1","volume-title":"Computer Simulation in Management Science","author":"Pidd M.","year":"2004"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_32_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph182212262"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/modelling3040027"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/2000494.2000496"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_35_1","unstructured":"Simul8 Corporation. \u201cSimul8 2022: Simulation Software for Process Improvement \u201d [Computer software] 2022 [Online] https:\/\/www.simul8.com\/."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_36_1","unstructured":"NHS England. \u201c2022\/23 National Tariff Payment System \u201d2022 : [Online] [accessed 21 April 2023] https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/wp\u2010content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/22\u201023NT_Annex\u2010A\u2010National\u2010tariff\u2010workbook_Apr22.xlsx."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_37_1","volume-title":"R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing","author":"R Core Team","year":"2021"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_38_1","volume-title":"Simulation Modeling and Analysis","author":"Law A. M.","year":"2007"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_39_1","unstructured":"NIHR. \u201cImpact of \u2018Virtual Wards\u2019 on Hospital Use: A Research Study Using Propensity Matched Controls and a Cost Analysis \u201d2013 : [Online] [accessed 21 April 2023] https:\/\/njl\u2010admin.nihr.ac.uk\/document\/download\/2008926."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_40_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916\u2010024\u201003312\u20103"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_41_1","volume-title":"The Flaw of Averages: Why We Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty","author":"Salvage S.","year":"2009"}],"container-title":["The International Journal of Health Planning and Management"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/hpm.70120","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/hpm.70120","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/hpm.70120","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T10:25:00Z","timestamp":1788863100000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/hpm.70120"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/hpm.70120"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/hpm.70120","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0749-6753","1099-1751"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0749-6753","type":"print"},{"value":"1099-1751","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2023-12-21","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-07-12","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-07-27","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}