Prioritize II: Optimization model for health gain-driven allocation of surgical capacity

Times of acute and structural pressure on surgical care require optimal use of surgical capacity. During COVID-19, a lack of management information led to local, ad-hoc decision-making about who had surgery and when. This resulted in practice variation, avoidable health loss and suboptimal use of resources. There is a need for a model that provides insight into and supports the effective use of scarce surgical capacity, aimed at maximum health gains. PRIORITIZE II further develops a proof-of-concept model into a dashboard that links the health benefits of operations to capacity and costs. By forming a consortium of hospitals and a research institution, they obtain real-life data and standardize data exchange, expanding and further validating the model. In addition, they add an optimization function, so that optimal allocation of operating capacity becomes possible in times of scarcity.