Are hospital waiting lists self-regulating?

ABSTRACT We have discovered that waiting lists to see hospital consultants are subject to the power laws of complexity theory, and so are likely to be an essential symptom of an efficient

healthcare service. Like other complex networks, both privately and publicly funded healthcare systems probably organize themselves in such a way as to reduce the impact of any attempted

intervention. They self-regulate to buffer against differing levels of demand, thereby creating bottomless pits that absorb all resources made available. It seems that we would be wiser to

judge the system by measuring the overall quality of medical care, rather than by the length of hospital waiting lists. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of

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ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS COMPLEXITY MEASURE BASED ON

SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS APPLIED TO AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT SYSTEM Article Open access 05 September 2023 CARE COORDINATION AND PATIENT SAFETY OUTCOME: A GRAPH-BASED APPROACH Article Open access

08 May 2025 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICIANS’ ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS OVER TIME Article Open access 26 May 2025 REFERENCES * Mandelbrot, B. B. _J. Business_

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AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Centre of Evidence-Based Dermatology, Queen's Medical Centre, University Hospital, Nottingham, UK, NG7 2UH D. P. Smethurst & H. C.

Williams Authors * D. P. Smethurst View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * H. C. Williams View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to D. P. Smethurst. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Smethurst, D.,

Williams, H. Are hospital waiting lists self-regulating?. _Nature_ 410, 652–653 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35070647 Download citation * Issue Date: 05 April 2001 * DOI:

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