The widespread and rapid internationalization of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the healthcare sector is outpacing our efforts to understand the motives behind this phenomenon and the processes that propel it. This paper investigates the internationalization processes of Swedish SMEs that operate in the international healthcare markets. Based on interviews from five SMEs, the study seeks to understand why these SMEs internationalize, and how and in what way this internationalization process unfolds. By developing a conceptual model based on previous literature for SME internationalization, knowledge and networks, and the regulatory environment in which the SMEs operate, the findings are analyzed in the context of the healthcare industry. The research concludes that product approval regulations have a small influence on the internationalization process; instead establishing relationships with local key opinion leaders to create awareness and legitimacy was essential to successfully enter a new foreign market. A further key finding identified was that each market is characterized by different national praxis and contrasting views on patient treatment methods, which was recognized as a challenge among the case firms.

abstract: This dissertation studies the scheduling in two stochastic networks, a co-located wireless network and an outpatient healthcare network, both of which have a cyclic planning horizon and a deadline-related performance metric. For the co-located wireless network, a time-slotted system is considered. A cycle of planning horizon is called a frame, which consists of a fixed number of time slots. The size of the frame is determined by the upper-layer applications. Packets with deadlines arrive at the beginning of each frame and will be discarded if missing their deadlines, which are in the same frame. Each link of the network is associated with a quality of service constraint and an average transmit power constraint. For this system, a MaxWeight-type problem for which the solutions achieve the throughput optimality is formulated. Since the computational complexity of solving the MaxWeight-type problem with exhaustive search is exponential even for a single-link system, a greedy algorithm with complexity O(nlog(n)) is proposed, which is also throughput optimal. The outpatient healthcare network is modeled as a discrete-time queueing network, in which patients receive diagnosis and treatment planning that involves collaboration between multiple service stations. For each patient, only the root (first) appointment can be scheduled as the following appointments evolve stochastically. The cyclic planing horizon is a week. The root appointment is optimized to maximize the proportion of patients that can complete their care by a class-dependent deadline. In the optimization algorithm, the sojourn time of patients in the healthcare network is approximated with a doubly-stochastic phase-type distribution. To address the computational intractability, a mean-field model with convergence guarantees is proposed. A linear programming-based policy improvement framework is developed, which can approximately solve the original large-scale stochastic optimization in queueing networks of realistic sizes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2020

Contexte : En France, les réseaux de santé se sont progressivement développés selon des organisations plus ou moins formContexte : En France, les réseaux de santé se sont progressivement développés selon des organisations plus ou moins formalisées. Constitués d’abord spontanément, ils se sont imposés massivement dans le paysage sanitaire français depuis leur reconnaissance institutionnelle (2002). Dès leur création, de nombreux réseaux ont proposé des activités d’éducation thérapeutique. La satisfaction croissante des participants ainsi que l’amélioration de leur état bioclinique caractéristiques pédagogiques qui définissent les réseaux. Objectif : Appréhender et comprendre les conditions pédagogiques dans lesquelles s’effectuent les apprentissages des patients en lien avec leur maladie, dans les réseaux de santé. Méthode : Etude exploratoire qualitative portant sur les discours produits par des patients et des soignants lors d’entretiens semi-dirigés. Les discours sont complétés par des observations de séances d’ETP. Une méthode d’analyse de contenu thématique a été utilisée pour exploiter les verbatim produits et les notes d’observation. Résultats : Sept réseaux de santé d’Ile-de-France ont été inclus. Vingt-six patients et dix-sept professionnels de santé ont été interrogés. Douze observations de séances ont été réalisées. Onze catégories liées à l’analyse permettent de caractériser l’apprentissage que les patients développent de manière spécifique et signifiante dans les réseaux de santé. Conclusions/perspectives : Cette étude ouvre de nouvelles perspectives quant à la réflexion sur l’organisation de l’ETP de « ville », tant dans sa planification que dans les formats proposés aux patients.alisées. Constitués d’abord spontanément, ils se sont imposés massivement dans le paysage sanitaire français depuis leur reconnaissance institutionnelle (2002). Dès leur création, de nombreux réseaux ont proposé des activités d’éducation thérapeutique. La satisfaction croissante des participants ainsi que l’amélioration de leur état bioclinique en lien avec les activités éducatives suivies, conduisent inévitablement à s’interroger sur les caractéristiques pédagogiques qui définissent les réseaux. Objectif : Appréhender et comprendre les conditions pédagogiques dans lesquelles s’effectuent les apprentissages des patients en lien avec leur maladie, dans les réseaux de santé. Méthode : Etude exploratoire qualitative portant sur les discours produits par des patients et des soignants lors d’entretiens semi-dirigés. Les discours sont complétés par des observations de séances d’ETP. Une méthode d’analyse de contenu thématique a été utilisée pour exploiter les verbatim produits et les notes d’observation. Résultats : Sept réseaux de santé d’Ile-de-France ont été inclus. Vingt-six patients et dix-sept professionnels de santé ont été interrogés. Douze observations de séances ont été réalisées. Onze catégories liées à l’analyse permettent de caractériser l’apprentissage que les patients développent de manière spécifique et signifiante dans les réseaux de santé. Conclusions/perspectives : Cette étude ouvre de nouvelles perspectives quant à la réflexion sur l’organisation de l’ETP de « ville », tant dans sa planification que dans les formats proposés aux patients. / Context: In France, healthcare networks have progressively grown as more or less formalised organizations.Spontaneously created at first, they have massively imposed themselves within the French public health landscape since their institutional recognition (2002). From the very beginning, many networks have offered activities of therapeutic education to the patients. Growing satisfaction among applicants as well as the improvement of their bio clinical parameters following the practice of educational activities inevitably questions the educational features of these networks. Objective: Grasping and understanding the pedagogical conditions in which patients learn how to live with their diseases in healthcare networks. Method: An exploratory qualitative study of patients’ and caregivers’ verbatim statements extracted from semistructured interviews. Verbatim transcripts are topped up by observations of TPE sessions. Verbatim transcripts and reports of observations are analysed through a specific thematic content method. Results: Seven healthcare networks in the Ile-de-France area have been included. Twenty-six patients and seventeen caregivers have been interviewed. Twelve observations of TPE sessions have been conducted. Eleven themes have been identified to describe the learning process that patients have specifically and meaningfully developed within healthcare networks. Conclusion and perspectives: This study is opening new prospects for the TPE organisation: a new reflexion on its achievement and management, and on the educational activities offered to patients concerned with ambulatory care.

Face aux pressions continues que subissent les systèmes de santé, de nombreuses réformes sont perpétuellement en cours pour améliorer le processus de soins et par conséquent, offrir des soins de qualité et accroître le niveau de santé des populations. Les réformes que connaissent actuellement les systèmes de santé visent à optimiser l’impact des services sur la santé de la population en introduisant le concept de la responsabilité populationnelle. Par ailleurs, il existe de plus en plus un consensus sur la nécessité d’établir une relation directe et durable entre les prestataires et la population des territoires desservies pour être en mesure de tenir compte des contextes personnels et sociaux des patients et de leurs familles et pour assurer la continuité des soins dans le temps et d’un service à l’autre. Cette thèse porte sur la Programmation régionale de services ambulatoires (PRSA) de Laval. Elle analyse cette programmation comme une solution innovatrice dans la mise en œuvre de la responsabilisation populationnelle des soins. La stratégie de recherche combine à la fois une revue intégrative de la littérature qui vise à analyser le bien-fondé de la PRSA; une étude quasi-expérimentale pour examiner ses effets; et enfin, une recherche synthétique de cas pour comprendre l’évolution de la PRSA et analyser l’institutionnalisation du changement dans les organisations de la santé. Dans le premier article, nous nous sommes employés à analyser le bien fondé c’est-à-dire la plausibilité des mécanismes causaux présumés. La PRSA est un modèle d’intégration régionale basée sur une approche populationnelle. La stratégie de réseaux intégrés de soins et de case management combinée avec une approche populationnelle telle que mise de l’avant par le PRSA sont trois éléments essentiels en faveur d’une responsabilité populationnelle des soins. À l’aide d’une revue intégrative de la littérature, nous avons démontré qu’il s’agit d’une programmation capable de consolider une intégration régionale en mettant de l’avant une approche populationnelle permettant de bien cibler les besoins des populations du territoire à desservir. Le deuxième article examine les effets populationnels de la PRSA en termes de réduction de la durée moyenne de séjour et de l’augmentation de la rétention régionale. Une approche quasi expérimentale a été utilisée. En ce qui concerne la durée moyenne de séjour, on n’observe aucune diminution pour l’asthme ni pour la démence. Par contre, il est plausible que l’implantation de la PRSA ait permis une diminution de la durée moyenne de séjour pour les maladies coronariennes, les MPOC, l’embolie pulmonaire et le cancer du sein. Pour la rétention régionale, aucun effet n’a été observé pour les MPOC, l’embolie pulmonaire et la démence. Une augmentation de la rétention régionale a été observée pour les maladies coronariennes, l’asthme et le cancer du sein. Cette augmentation pourrait être attribuée à la PRSA. Dans le troisième article, nous avons examiné les facteurs susceptibles d’expliquer l’évolution de la PRSA. En partant du point de vue des responsables de la programmation de la PRSA et les gestionnaires actuels de la programmation de services de la région de Laval, nous avons tenté de mieux cerner les facteurs qui ont provoqué la suspension du déploiement de la PRSA. Les résultats indiquent que les changements fréquents dans les structures dirigeantes du réseau de la santé ainsi que l’interférence de plusieurs autres réformes ont été un obstacle dans le maintien de la PRSA. Dans le contexte actuel des réformes en santé où l’approche de réseaux intégrés de soins et de responsabilité populationnelle sont mises de l’avant, les résultats de cette thèse apportent un éclairage certain sur l’opérationnalisation de ces orientations. / Due to the continuous pressures on the health systems, many reforms are perpetually implemented to improve care process and consequently the quality of care in order to increase public’s health level. The ultimate goal of this health system’s reform is to optimize the services impact on population’s health by introducing the populational responsibility concept; an approach based on the conviction that health is collective, therefore necessary to maintain and develop. In addition, there are more and more consensus on the necessity to establish a direct and durable relationship between care providers and communities. Thus, a way to be able to consider the patient’s personal and social contexts along with his family, and to ensure continuous care. This thesis, based on the Regional Programmation of ambulatory services (PRSA) of Laval, analyzes this program as an innovative solution concerning the introduction of populational approach in healthcare. The research strategy combines an integrated literature review, which analyses the pertinence of the PRSA; a quasi-experimental study, to examine its effects; and finally, a synthetic research that allows grasping the PRSA’s evolution and to analyze the institutionalization of change in healthcare organizations. In the first article, we analyse the pertinence of the PRSA’s model or, in other words, the plausibility of the causal relation that is presumed by this model. The PRSA is a regional model that combines integrated healthcare networks, case management and a populational approach to achieve populational responsibility. We showed, based on an integrated literature review, that this program has indeed the potential to secure a regional integration using a populational approach to well assess its population’s needs. The second article analyses the PRSA’s populational effects in terms of length of stay (LOS) and regional retention. A quasi-experimental design was used. For the length of stay, no decrease could be noted for asthma or dementia. On the other hand, the PRSA’s implementation may have contributed to decrease the LOS for heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary embolism and breast cancer. Concerning the regional retention of patients, no significant changes were seen for COPD, pulmonary embolism and dementia though effects were observed for heart disease, asthma and breast cancer. Finally, in the third article, we look at the reasons that lead PRSA’s suspension. Based on the PRSA’s manager and the current services programs managers in Laval, we tried to get a better understanding of the factors that delayed the PRSA’s implementation. The results indicate that the frequent healthcare system leading structures reorganizations and the interference of several other reforms in the past years were obstacles in the PRSA’s implementation. Considering the current context, in which health care system is going through several reforms and where the network approach and the populational responsibility are valued, the results of this thesis bring a valuable contribution to the comprehension and the implementation of these concepts.

Face aux pressions continues que subissent les systèmes de santé, de nombreuses réformes sont perpétuellement en cours pour améliorer le processus de soins et par conséquent, offrir des soins de qualité et accroître le niveau de santé des populations. Les réformes que connaissent actuellement les systèmes de santé visent à optimiser l’impact des services sur la santé de la population en introduisant le concept de la responsabilité populationnelle. Par ailleurs, il existe de plus en plus un consensus sur la nécessité d’établir une relation directe et durable entre les prestataires et la population des territoires desservies pour être en mesure de tenir compte des contextes personnels et sociaux des patients et de leurs familles et pour assurer la continuité des soins dans le temps et d’un service à l’autre. Cette thèse porte sur la Programmation régionale de services ambulatoires (PRSA) de Laval. Elle analyse cette programmation comme une solution innovatrice dans la mise en œuvre de la responsabilisation populationnelle des soins. La stratégie de recherche combine à la fois une revue intégrative de la littérature qui vise à analyser le bien-fondé de la PRSA; une étude quasi-expérimentale pour examiner ses effets; et enfin, une recherche synthétique de cas pour comprendre l’évolution de la PRSA et analyser l’institutionnalisation du changement dans les organisations de la santé. Dans le premier article, nous nous sommes employés à analyser le bien fondé c’est-à-dire la plausibilité des mécanismes causaux présumés. La PRSA est un modèle d’intégration régionale basée sur une approche populationnelle. La stratégie de réseaux intégrés de soins et de case management combinée avec une approche populationnelle telle que mise de l’avant par le PRSA sont trois éléments essentiels en faveur d’une responsabilité populationnelle des soins. À l’aide d’une revue intégrative de la littérature, nous avons démontré qu’il s’agit d’une programmation capable de consolider une intégration régionale en mettant de l’avant une approche populationnelle permettant de bien cibler les besoins des populations du territoire à desservir. Le deuxième article examine les effets populationnels de la PRSA en termes de réduction de la durée moyenne de séjour et de l’augmentation de la rétention régionale. Une approche quasi expérimentale a été utilisée. En ce qui concerne la durée moyenne de séjour, on n’observe aucune diminution pour l’asthme ni pour la démence. Par contre, il est plausible que l’implantation de la PRSA ait permis une diminution de la durée moyenne de séjour pour les maladies coronariennes, les MPOC, l’embolie pulmonaire et le cancer du sein. Pour la rétention régionale, aucun effet n’a été observé pour les MPOC, l’embolie pulmonaire et la démence. Une augmentation de la rétention régionale a été observée pour les maladies coronariennes, l’asthme et le cancer du sein. Cette augmentation pourrait être attribuée à la PRSA. Dans le troisième article, nous avons examiné les facteurs susceptibles d’expliquer l’évolution de la PRSA. En partant du point de vue des responsables de la programmation de la PRSA et les gestionnaires actuels de la programmation de services de la région de Laval, nous avons tenté de mieux cerner les facteurs qui ont provoqué la suspension du déploiement de la PRSA. Les résultats indiquent que les changements fréquents dans les structures dirigeantes du réseau de la santé ainsi que l’interférence de plusieurs autres réformes ont été un obstacle dans le maintien de la PRSA. Dans le contexte actuel des réformes en santé où l’approche de réseaux intégrés de soins et de responsabilité populationnelle sont mises de l’avant, les résultats de cette thèse apportent un éclairage certain sur l’opérationnalisation de ces orientations. / Due to the continuous pressures on the health systems, many reforms are perpetually implemented to improve care process and consequently the quality of care in order to increase public’s health level. The ultimate goal of this health system’s reform is to optimize the services impact on population’s health by introducing the populational responsibility concept; an approach based on the conviction that health is collective, therefore necessary to maintain and develop. In addition, there are more and more consensus on the necessity to establish a direct and durable relationship between care providers and communities. Thus, a way to be able to consider the patient’s personal and social contexts along with his family, and to ensure continuous care. This thesis, based on the Regional Programmation of ambulatory services (PRSA) of Laval, analyzes this program as an innovative solution concerning the introduction of populational approach in healthcare. The research strategy combines an integrated literature review, which analyses the pertinence of the PRSA; a quasi-experimental study, to examine its effects; and finally, a synthetic research that allows grasping the PRSA’s evolution and to analyze the institutionalization of change in healthcare organizations. In the first article, we analyse the pertinence of the PRSA’s model or, in other words, the plausibility of the causal relation that is presumed by this model. The PRSA is a regional model that combines integrated healthcare networks, case management and a populational approach to achieve populational responsibility. We showed, based on an integrated literature review, that this program has indeed the potential to secure a regional integration using a populational approach to well assess its population’s needs. The second article analyses the PRSA’s populational effects in terms of length of stay (LOS) and regional retention. A quasi-experimental design was used. For the length of stay, no decrease could be noted for asthma or dementia. On the other hand, the PRSA’s implementation may have contributed to decrease the LOS for heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary embolism and breast cancer. Concerning the regional retention of patients, no significant changes were seen for COPD, pulmonary embolism and dementia though effects were observed for heart disease, asthma and breast cancer. Finally, in the third article, we look at the reasons that lead PRSA’s suspension. Based on the PRSA’s manager and the current services programs managers in Laval, we tried to get a better understanding of the factors that delayed the PRSA’s implementation. The results indicate that the frequent healthcare system leading structures reorganizations and the interference of several other reforms in the past years were obstacles in the PRSA’s implementation. Considering the current context, in which health care system is going through several reforms and where the network approach and the populational responsibility are valued, the results of this thesis bring a valuable contribution to the comprehension and the implementation of these concepts.

In this thesis, by being motivated from the challenges in perinatal networks, we address design, evaluation and flow control of a stochastic healthcare network where there exist multiple levels of hospitals and different types of patients. Patients are supposed urgent; thus they can be rejected and overflow to another facility in the same network if no service capacity is available at their arrival. Rejection of patients due to the lack of service capacity is the common phenomenon in overflow networks. We approach the problem from both strategic and operational perspectives. In strategic part, we address a location & capacity planning problem for adjusting the network to better meet demographic changes. In operational part, we study the optimal patient admission control policies to increase flexibility in allocation of resources and improve the control of patient flow in the network. Finally, in order to evaluate the performance of the network, we develop new approximation methodologies that estimate the rejection probabilities in each hospital for each arriving patient group, thus the overflow probabilities among hospitals. Furthermore, an agent-based discrete-event simulation model is constructed to adequately represent our main applicationarea: Nord Hauts-de-Seine Perinatal Network. The simulation model is used to evaluate the performance of the complex network and more importantly evaluate the strength of the optimal results of our analytical models. The developed methodologies in this thesis are combined in a decision support tool, foreseen under the project "COVER", which aims to assist health system managers to effectively plan strategic and operational decisions of a healthcare network and evaluate the performance of their decisions.

Submitted by Fabiana Gonçalves Pinto (benf@ndc.uff.br) on 2018-03-12T18:51:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Gloria Iara dos Santos Barros.pdf: 2380082 bytes, checksum: 12b90665c11521425552671301729ee7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-12T18:51:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gloria Iara dos Santos Barros.pdf: 2380082 bytes, checksum: 12b90665c11521425552671301729ee7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Mestrado Profissional em Ensino na Saúde / Cerca de 80 % dos casos de câncer de boca ainda são diagnosticados em fase tardia, o que compromete o prognóstico e pode ocasionar cirurgias complexas ou severas mutilações e levar ao óbito. Nesse contexto, o processo de trabalho proposto pela Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) favorece o planejamento e a realização de ações de proteção e promoção da saúde. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar o cuidado e a rede de atenção ao câncer de boca, a partir da percepção de dentistas que compõem as equipes de saúde bucal da ESF do município de Niterói, chamada Programa Médico de Família (PMF). Pesquisa do tipo descritiva e exploratória de abordagem qualitativa. Numa primeira etapa foram realizadas entrevistas com os dentistas de família das equipes de saúde bucal do PMF. Na sequência, foram entrevistados sujeitos estratégicos para a compreensão da rede de atenção ao câncer de boca. Os dados foram submetidos à análise temática e emergiram duas categorias: “O Câncer de boca no cotidiano das equipes de saúde bucal: A agonia do Diagnóstico Tardio” e “A Atenção ao Câncer de Boca: Uma Rede desconhecida.” Os dados mostraram que os dentistas da ESF de Niterói se deparam com casos de câncer de boca diagnosticados e tratados em fase tardia e que não existem ações regulares por parte das equipes de saúde bucal e nem protocolos para o enfrentamento da doença. O quadro é agravado pela insegurança dos dentistas com relação ao diagnóstico de lesões malignas e potencialmente malignas no cotidiano do trabalho na ESF, pela baixa sensibilização dos demais trabalhadores da ESF para a atuação em equipe, pelo desconhecimento do fluxo de encaminhamento para biópsia e exame histopatológico, e agendamento para o tratamento na rede municipal e pela ausência do problema do Câncer de boca na pauta de discussões municipais. Observou-se uma rede desorganizada e um desconhecimento generalizado sobre o fluxo institucional para encaminhamento de lesões suspeitas de malignidade e tratamento, o que deixa os profissionais apreensivos e inseguros diante de lesões encontradas. A pesquisa desvelou os pontos na rede de encaminhamento para diagnóstico e tratamento, promovendo a socialização das informações em seguidos encontros envolvendo a academia e os trabalhadores da gestão e da assistência e gerou, dentre outros, um protocolo de intervenções e um novo fluxograma municipal / Around 80% of mouth cancer cases are diagnosed in a late stage, which compromises the prognosis and can lead to complex surgeries or severe mutilations and lead to death. In this context, the workflow proposed by the Family Health Strategy (FHS) favors the planning and implementation of actions towards health protection. The objective of this study was to investigate the state of the care given to mouth cancer, seen through the perception of the dentists who compose the mouth care units in Niteroi, called the Family Medical Program (FMP). A descriptive and exploratory research of qualitative approach. In the first stage, interviews were conducted with the families’ dentists from the (FMP). Next, key subjects used to understand the network of cancer mouth care were interviewed. The data was submitted for thematic analysis and two categories emerged: “Mouth cancer in the daily routine of mouth care: The agony of a late diagnosis.” and “Attention to mouth cancer: an unknown network.” Data show that dentists from Niteroi’s FHS are coming across cases of mouth cancer that have been diagnosed in a late stage for which there are neither regulated actions for the healthcare providers, nor protocol to face the sickness. The situation is made worse by: the insecurity felt by dentists towards these malign lesion diagnostics and other potential malign health situations in the day-to-day of the FHS; by the lack of understanding from FHS workers relating to a group approach and teamwork; by the lack of knowledge relating to the steps necessary towards directing these patients in the right direction of a histopathology exam and biopsy- as well as the right scheduling and treatment- and the ability to talk about the problem mouth cancer on a municipal discussion in a government level. A disorganized network was observed with a general lack of knowledge towards institutional flow regarding where the patients should be sent to, which leaves professionals apprehensive and insecure when faced with these suspected malign lesions and their proper treatment. The research found these weak spots in the flow of diagnosis and treatment, and has promoted information sharing amongst the professionals through events and meetings between the members of the academic and hands-on professionals, as well as creating a new intervention protocol and municipal patient flow program

Cette thèse porte sur l’étude d’un réseau de soins hiérarchique stochastique avec rejet où les patients sont transférés lorsque la capacité de l’hôpital d’accueil n’est pas suffisante. Les patients sont alors redirigés vers un autre hôpital, ou hors du réseau. Une application concrète sur les réseaux de périnatalité est proposée, et nous avons identifié plusieurs verrous scientifiques fondamentaux d’un point de vue stratégique et opérationnel. Dans la partie stratégique, nous nous sommes intéressés à un problème de planification de capacité dans le réseau. Nous avons développé un modèle de localisation et de dimensionnement non-linéaire qui tient compte de la nature stochastique du système. La linéarisation du modèle permet de résoudre des problèmes de taille réelle en temps raisonnable. Nous avons développé dans un second temps de nouvelles méthodologies d’approximation permettant d’évaluer la performance du réseau en termes de probabilité de rejet et de transfert entre hôpitaux. Dans la partie opérationnelle, nous avons étudié des politiques de pilotage d’admission optimales pour différentes tailles de réseaux de manière utiliser au mieux les ressources hospitalières. Finalement, nous avons construit un modèle de simulation couplant multi-agents et événements discrets permettant la validation des résultats précédents et l’évaluation de performance du système de manière réaliste. / In this thesis, by being motivated from the challenges in perinatal networks, we address design, evaluation and flow control of a stochastic healthcare network where there exist multiple levels of hospitals and different types of patients. Patients are supposed urgent; thus they can be rejected and overflow to another facility in the same network if no service capacity is available at their arrival. Rejection of patients due to the lack of service capacity is the common phenomenon in overflow networks. We approach the problem from both strategic and operational perspectives. In strategic part, we address a location & capacity planning problem for adjusting the network to better meet demographic changes. In operational part, we study the optimal patient admission control policies to increase flexibility in allocation of resources and improve the control of patient flow in the network. Finally, in order to evaluate the performance of the network, we develop new approximation methodologies that estimate the rejection probabilities in each hospital for each arriving patient group, thus the overflow probabilities among hospitals. Furthermore, an agent-based discrete-event simulation model is constructed to adequately represent our main applicationarea: Nord Hauts-de-Seine Perinatal Network. The simulation model is used to evaluate the performance of the complex network and more importantly evaluate the strength of the optimal results of our analytical models. The developed methodologies in this thesis are combined in a decision support tool, foreseen under the project “COVER”, which aims to assist health system managers to effectively plan strategic and operational decisions of a healthcare network and evaluate the performance of their decisions.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an antibiotic-resistant bacterium of epidemiologic importance in Canadian healthcare facilities. The contact between MRSA colonized or infected patients with other patients, healthcare workers (HCWs) and/or the healthcare environment can result in MRSA transmission and healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) infections in hospitals. These HA-MRSA infections are linked with increased length of hospital stay, economic burden, morbidity and mortality. Although infection prevention and control programs initiated in 2009 in Canada and other developed countries (e.g., UK, France, Belgium, Denmark, etc.) have been relatively successful in reducing the rate of HA-MRSA infections, they continue to pose a threat to patients, especially to the more vulnerable in long term care and geriatric institutions. Historically, MRSA was a problem mainly in hospital settings but after mid-1990s new strains of MRSA have been identified among people without healthcare-related risks and have been classified as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). Furthermore, the distinction between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA strains is gradually waning due to both the introduction of HA-MRSA in communities, and the emergence of CA-MRSA strains in hospitals. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the feasibility of constructing healthcare networks to evaluate the role of healthcare providers (e.g., physicians) and places (e.g., patient rooms) in the transmission of MRSA in a large tertiary care facility. Method of investigation: a secondary data case-control study, using individual characteristics and network structure measures, conducted at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) between April 1st, 2013 and March 31th, 2014. Results: It was feasible to build social networks in a large tertiary care facility based on electronic medical records data. The networks' size (represented by the number of vertices and lines) increased during the outbreak period (period 1) compared to the pre-outbreak period (period 0) for both groups and at all three TOH campuses. The calculated median degree centrality showed significant increase in value for both study groups during period 1 compared to period 0 for two of the TOH campuses (Civic and General). There was no significant difference between the median degree centrality calculated for each study group at the Heart Institute when compared for the two reference periods. The median degree centrality of the MRSA case group for period 0 showed no significant difference when compared to the same measure determined for the control group for all three TOH campuses. However, the median degree centrality calculated for period 1 was significantly increased for the control group compared to the MRSA case group for two TOH campuses (Civic and General) but showed no significant difference between the two groups from the Heart Institute. In addition, there was a correlation between the two network measures (degree centrality and eigenvector centrality) calculated to determine the most influential person or place in the MRSA case group networks. However, there was no correlation between the two network’s measures calculated for physicians included in MRSA case group networks. Conclusions: It is feasible to use social network analysis as an epidemiologic analysis tool to characterize the MRSA transmission in a hospital setting. The network's visible changes between the groups and reference periods were reflected by the network measures and supported also by known hospital patient movements after the outbreak onset. Furthermore, we were able to identify potential source cases and places just prior of the outbreak start. Unfortunately, we were not able to show the role of healthcare workers in MRSA transmission in a hospital setting due to limitations in data collection and network measure chosen (eigenvector centrality). Further research is required to confirm these study findings.