Health Operations Research: A Survey of Programs of American Universities

The delivery of health care in a technologically based culture has created complex problems which tax the ability and preparedness of those intimately involved with this industry to present optimal solutions. The Health Applications Section of ORSA as the technical umbrella for professionals in Health Care is perhaps one of the largest and most active sections in ORSA today. We were interested in examining the sources and methods used for generating professionals in this field. In an effort to answer this question, we conducted a survey which is summarized in the sequel.

The survey covered the following aspects of a typical university's operation—program location; education programs: students, courses, projects, theses and degrees; research programs: funded and unfunded projects; and faculty: size and interests. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to approximately 17 major institutions with known interest and activities in the area. Sixty-five per cent of those contacted responded. The results follow.