McGeorge, D; Chow, V W; Carthey, J and Loosemore, M (2011) Modelling the impact of extreme weather events on healthcare infrastructure using rich picture diagrams. In: Egbu, C and Lou, E C W (eds.) Proceedings of 27th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2011, Bristol, UK.
Abstract
Healthcare infrastructure for a community comprises not only its hospital but also many other related facilities such as primary care clinics, community health centres, rural nursing posts, aged care centres, etc. These facilities form a complex set of relationships which need to work collectively for an effective response to climate-change related extreme weather events such as floods and storms. The aim of this research is to develop a conceptual understanding of the dynamic relationships of hospital facilities before, during and after an extreme weather event. This is an essential step in framing a systems model that will assist facility managers to maintain critical healthcare infrastructure during an emergency. Rich Picture Diagrams (RPDs) were used to map relationships between critical healthcare infrastructure components such as the base hospital; access roads; aged care facilities and remotely located supplies. The rich information on the inter-organisational, system and governance complexities associated with responding to extreme weather events was obtained from three hospital case studies (two in Australia and one in New Zealand). The main finding of this research is that RPDs have considerable potential in the development of soft systems models which will assist decision takers involved in the design and management of healthcare infrastructure particularly in the context of extreme weather events. The soft systems methodology which underpins this research challenges the conventional view of what constitutes a facility and consequently has important implications for those constructing and managing facilities.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | extreme weather events; facilities management; health infrastructure; modelling; rich picture diagrams |
| Index terms: | framing, Australia, manager, New Zealand, case study, governance, soft systems methodology, modelling, extreme weather event, facilities management, hospital facility, complexity |
| Subjects: | systems engineering, Geography, research methods, management, analytical methods, conceptual models, practitioner, climate science, business, construction type, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Governance, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here