The innovative KTP, which aims to enable services to deliver more effective and efficient patient care, was showcased at the 2024 Association of European Operational Research Societies annual conference (EURO2024), which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mayden specialise in the development of innovative technology that supports healthcare services deliver data driven, outcome focussed and patient centred care. They are currently collaborating on a second groundbreaking Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Bath.
Through the development of advanced analytical tools, the project strives to optimise service capacity and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of mental health care pathways.
The learnings and successes from the project have been presented at the European Conference on Operational Research in Copenhagen. The EURO conference is renowned for bringing together experts and thought leaders from various fields to discuss and share advancements in operational research.
KTP Associate Lizzie Yardley works within Mayden’s Data Research Team and the Centre for Healthcare Innovation and Improvement (CHI2) at the University of Bath's School of Management. At the event, Lizzie presented the collaborative work being done with the university, showcasing the innovative methodologies and preliminary findings of their KTP project.
The KTP project, funded through an Innovate UK research grant, investigates Talking Therapies care pathways and how patient routes through care pathways affect patient outcomes. The project is achieving this through three phases of work:
- Phase 1: Analysis of historic service performance, patient wait times, dropout rates and identification of the most common patient trajectories through the care pathway
- Phase 2: Statistical analysis to understand how service delivery impacts patients and their outcomes
- Phase 3: Development of patient pathway computer models of demand and capacity that use historic service performance to predict future capacity and support decision-making
Innovative technologies
This research project will use a number of different technologies to achieve its aims.
To analyse historic service performance, the team used process mining as a way of analysing and visualising healthcare processes. This uses historical data on how these processes are executed in practice, to generate information about process usage.
The findings from this work have recently been published in JMIR Mental Health, in a paper titled “Data-Driven Exploration of National Health Service Talking Therapies Care Pathways Using Process Mining: Retrospective Cohort Study”.
To evaluate the impact of care pathway attributes on patient outcomes and experience, such as engagement with therapy or recovery, the team are using traditional statistical and machine learning techniques.
To model patient flows through care pathways, computer simulation modelling will be used, which involves generating simulated versions of the care pathway, that can be used to test “what-if” scenarios and the likely impact of suggested changes on patient and system outcomes.
Lizzie Yardley who presented the preliminary findings at the EURO conference, says:
Our participation in the European Conference on Operational Research highlights the innovative strides being made through the KTP between the University of Bath and Mayden. By focusing on the critical areas of demand monitoring, capacity planning, and mental health service delivery improvements, this project aims to deliver significant advancements in the efficiency and effectiveness of NHS talking therapy services.
Contact the Business Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange team if you are interested in a KTP: partnerships@bath.ac.uk.