Operations research in global health: a scoping review with a focus on the themes of health equity and impact.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Operations research (OR) is a discipline that uses advanced analytical methods (e.g. simulation, optimisation, decision analysis) to better understand complex systems and aid in decision-making. Herein, we present a scoping review of the use of OR to analyse issues in global health, with an emphasis on health equity and research impact. A systematic search of five databases was designed to identify relevant published literature. A global overview of 1099 studies highlights the geographic distribution of OR and common OR methods used. From this collection of literature, a narrative description of the use of OR across four main application areas of global health - health systems and operations, clinical medicine, public health and health innovation - is also presented. The

SUBMITTER: Bradley BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5395767 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature