This project will support a scholarly workshop to review current research in the healthcare systems engineering field, and then develop and disseminate an agenda of priority needs. This meeting would take place at the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, June 15-16, 2006. Healthcare delivery in the United States is in a crisis of inconsistent and sometimes dismal quality, safety and efficiency, plus rapidly growing cost. The recent joint study of the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine found a major reason to be the absence of involvement in healthcare among the systems engineers and researchers who have done so much to improve manufacturing and distribution.
The workshop will contribute to the intellectual development of systems engineering methods for the healthcare domain by bringing together many of the leading researchers to the field, and systematically reviewing what has been achieved and what future needs deserve priority. Healthcare is the nation's largest industry, predicted to consume 19 percent of the Gross Domestic Product within 10 years. Improvements in delivery systems yield both cost savings and quality improvements, thus enhancing the quality of thousands of lives. In addition, PhD students interested in the topic will be supported to attend the workshop as vitally needed healthcare systems engineering leaders of the future.
