Operations research in health services: A success, or is more research necessary?

Health services throughout Europe present a constant challenge to deliver acceptable services within cost constraints. Operations researchers strive to understand the determinants of system performance and provide support to identify and implement solutions. In the UK recently, measures of health performance have been endorsed nationally by Government. This paper reviews the issues and the interventions taking place Europe-wide. A categorisation of the ways in which O.R. can address performance issues is presented, and compared with evidence from recent publications and from the programme of the present ORAHS conference. The focus of OR on implementation and of ORAHS on sharing experiences of Health Services across Europe are regarded as a good basis for collaboration and communication and the focusing of future research. Success is always partial, and more research is always necessary.