Performance and Output Measurement: A Joint Meeting of Euro Public Sector and Health Working Groups -- 14-16 January, 1980

Turner, P., Boldy, D., & Aspden, P. (1980). Performance and Output Measurement: A Joint Meeting of Euro Public Sector and Health Working Groups -- 14-16 January, 1980. IIASA Collaborative Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: CP-80-007

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Abstract

Most governmental and public service bodies have developed methods for measuring and controlling the inputs to major programs, in terms of finance, manpower, and other resources. There has, however, been relatively little success in measuring the output of such programs -- except in rather special cases -- and such measurement as takes place is usually on secondary rather than primary measures of output; it is easy to measure the number of patients handled in a clinic, but much more difficult to determine how far their health is improved. The issue of performance and output measurement is thus of major concern to operational research workers and applied systems analysts, much of whose work is directed towards public service programs, and because it cuts across many fields of application. It therefore seemed particularly appropriate that two working groups of the European Association of Operational Research Societies should meet at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in January 1980 to discuss this topic. As the discussion may be of wider interest than to those actually present it all seems appropriate to make these notes more widely available in the form of an IIASA Collaborative Paper.

The meeting was the prime responsibility of Peter Turner and Duncan Boldy, chairmen respectively of the Public Sector and Health Working Groups of EURO. At IIASA the coordination was undertaken by Philip Aspden of the Health Care Systems Modeling Task. These three are the joint editors of this report.

It was felt that the proceedings were worth recording but that, as they were really part of an ongoing debate, they should be made available as quickly as possible. To avoid further delay some of the papers are therefore presented in note form, and the discussion has been condensed to bring out the main topics of interest. It is too seldom that those engaged in the analytical study of policy issues get together specifically to discuss their problems, rather than to parade their solutions. We hope that this collaborative paper may help to stimulate further such meetings.

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