Turning emergency department data into insight
How can we improve primary care when we struggle to measure how well it’s working?
In this video, Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School, explains new research with NHS collaborators that tackles one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: how to measure primary care performance. Because data in general practice are fragmented, it is difficult to compare access and quality across thousands of practices.
Nicos’ research uses Emergency Department data for conditions that should be managed in primary care to estimate how much different GP practices rely on emergency services. After adjusting for factors such as deprivation, age, and distance, the study reveals consistent differences between practices—those with higher emergency use tend to have worse staffing, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer outcomes. Improving underperforming practices could save £42 million and prevent 265,000 ED visits each year.
How can we improve primary care when we struggle to measure how well it’s working?
In this video, Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School, explains new research with NHS collaborators that tackles one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: how to measure primary care performance. Because data in general practice are fragmented, it is difficult to compare access and quality across thousands of practices.
Nicos’ research uses Emergency Department data for conditions that should be managed in primary care to estimate how much different GP practices rely on emergency services. After adjusting for factors such as deprivation, age, and distance, the study reveals consistent differences between practices—those with higher emergency use tend to have worse staffing, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer outcomes. Improving underperforming practices could save £42 million and prevent 265,000 ED visits each year.