Operations Research (OR) is gaining importance in everyday world including public health interventions and programmes.

1. OPERATIONAL
RESEARCH
MODERATOR: DR SULAKSHANA S. BALIGA
PRESENTER: Dr. VYSAKH T S
DEPT OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE
JNMC, KAHER, BELAGAVI
DATE: 04-11-2020

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Definitions and history
• Objective
• Phases, types and methods
• Scopes of operational research
• Importance of OR
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3. • Operations Research (OR) is gaining importance in everyday world
including public health interventions and programmes increasingly both
nationally and internationally.
• In todays world Operations Research is all around us, from buying a flight
to queuing for our daily groceries.
• Without Operations Research the modern world we take for granted
wouldn’t exist.
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4. Techniques of Operation Research
i. Linear Programming
ii. Non-linear Programming
iii. Integer Programming
iv. Dynamic Programming
v. Goal Programming
vi. Game Theory
vii. Inventory Control
viii. Simulation
ix. Queuing Theory

5. Operation The activity carried out by community or organisation
Research Any form of systemic and organised investigation to
establish facts
It helps to identify solutions to problems that limit program
quality, efficiency and effectiveness, or to determine which
alternative service delivery strategy would yield the best outcomes.
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6. Let’s think we are making a
decision
If we have to make the best
decision possible,
what should we do?
We evaluate every possible
option
by weighing each option’s pros
and cons.
Final decision should be to maximise benefits and minimise effort and time
To give you an idea …
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7. DEFINITIONS
“Operational Research is the scientific study of operations for the
purpose of making better decisions”
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8. DEFINITIONS
• Operations Research (O.R.) is a discipline that deals with the
application of advanced analytical methods to help make better
decisions
The Institute for Operations Research and the
Management Sciences
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9. HISTORY
Operational research were initiated in England during world war II
British made a scientifically
Scientists based decision For best utilization
of war materials
Later on it was adapted to improve efficiency and productivity of civilian
sector

10. Synonyms of Operational research
• Operational research
• Operations research
• Health system research
• Health service research
• Health practices research
• Decision linked research
• Action Research
• Implementation research
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11. OBJECTIVE
• Decision making
• Identify optimum solution
• Integrating the system
• Minimize the cost
• Maximize the profit
• Improve productivity
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Main objective is to develop new methodologies
To secure optimum utilization of resources like
(money, materials, time, manpower etc.) with purpose
of inducing beneficial changes.

12. Operations research applications in
healthcare
Operating room planning
Emergency department staffing
Breast cancer screening
Radiotherapy
Treatment planning
Home healthcare planning
Long-term care planning and scheduling.

13. Phases Of Operations Research
Problem
formulation
Model
construction
Deriving solutions
from models
Testing the model
and the solution
Implementing and
controlling the solution
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14. How to do an operational research
This data was produced by the WHO based on a review of
Operational Research projects about Scaling-up antiretroviral treatment for HIV,
conducted in 5 African countries between 2005 and 2007.
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15. Types of Operational Research
1. Exploratory/diagnostic studies – To find out the extent of problem
2. Interventional studies – RCT, Community trials
3. Monitoring and Evaluation – Monitoring input and process,
Evaluating output, outcome and impact
4. Economic analysis - zinc and copper supplementation in
acute diarrhoea
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NGO -

16. Operational Research Team
• The composition of the team varies with the type of research.
• The minimum composition in social medicine applications is probably
a public health administrator
an epidemiologist
a statistician
a social scientist
ancillary workers (clerks, peons and field workers)
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17. Methods
Stimulation method – Models or real stimulation is mad e
main aim is to search for the improvement
Optimization method – Main aim is to help decision maker to identify
locate best choice.
Data analysis method – Main aim is to help decision maker to detect
actual pattern and interconnections in the
pattern for making solution.
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18. Scope of Operational Research
• National plans and budget.
• Health care services and National Health Programs.
• Government development and public sector unit.
• Industrial establishment and private sector unit.
• National defense services.
• Research and development in engineering.
• Business management.
• Agriculture and irrigation projects.
• Education and training.
• Transport and communication.
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19. Three criteria for good OR
Relevance: How to formulate the research project so that it provides
evidence that can help improve disease control programs.
Quality: How to ensure that the planned project will yield solid
evidence.
Implementation: How to set up the project so that it is well managed and
efficiently implemented.
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20. • Operations Research helps
to take better and quicker decisions.
• Operations Research helps to coordinate
all the decisions of the organization.
• Operations Research helps to find out and correct the deviations (difference) in
the performance.
• Operations Research helps to improve the productivity of the
organization.
Why Operational Research is important ?
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21. Advantages of Operations Research
• Better Systems
• Better Control
• Better Decisions
Limitations of Operations Research
• Dependence on an Electronic Computer
• Not Realistic in real life situations
• Distance between operation and Operations Researcher
• Implementation
• Money and Time Costs
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22. Example of current Operational research project
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You can access this from https://orc.mit.edu/impact/covid-19-projects

23. OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
Application of
scientific method
of investigations
To study complex
human organizations
and services
Application of scientific
method, techniques and
tools
Operations of systems
With optimum solution to
the problem
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24. References
Indian Journal of Public Health, Volume 54, Issue 3, July-September, 2010
Downloaded free from http://www.ijph.in , Accessed on Monday, October 26, 2020, IP:
122.160.145.162
The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS): What is
Operations Research? 2015. https://www.informs.org/ About-INFORMS/What-is-
Operations-Research. Accessed on Monday, October 26, 2020
World Health Organization (WHO)
http://www.universalteacherpublications.com/univ/ebooks/or/Ch1/phases.htm Accessed on Monday,
October 26, 2020
https://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/2013HIV_OR-Methodology_UNFPA.pdf
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