Write a reflection of a research assignment

1. Set the decision problem

a. Perspective: We estimate costs from an operator's perspective. For customers, the service can be called by phone, and the cost is negligible.

b. Time horizon:3 years

c. Target population:17155, half of the elderly people aged over 75 in Victoria of BC, because the public health care coverage rate is around 50%.

d. Setting: The services will be done in users' own residences in the City of Victoria. They can search and find the specific care they need in the community centers within the region.

2. Identify all relevant resources

a. Capital: a room in the community centers

b. Labor: nurse time, volunteer time, educator time, and house worker time

c. Energy: electricity for lighting and office machines, natural gas for heating

d. Material: nursing material, computer, phones

e. Service: transportation to the clients’ home

3. Measure resources

a. Home care:

According to the home care reporting system, there are 26612 people in BC needing long-term home care every year. Assuming the home care rate (home care population / total population), there are 2217 people in Victoria needing long-term home care. Assuming half of them are covered by public health care (the public health care coverage rate is nearly 50%), and half of the rest will hire home care service (home care reporting system data user guide, 2017-2018), so there will be 540 people using home care service. The average service is 6 months (home care system data, 2018), so that the total service time for 540 people is 797760 hours.

For nursing material, according to the nursing education resource study guide (2018), one nursing material set can use for 30 times. In such case, we assume home care nurse needs nursing material set once every 3 days, then we need 2190 nursing material set one year.

540*365/(3*30)=2190

b. Nursing care:

According to the senior statistics of Canada government, the elder needs nursing care once a week, and consulting service 3 month a time. for every time, so that it’s 56 times for one year. We assume 2 hours service. Our target population is 17155 and 540 of them plan to have home care, so that the remained 16615 people need nursing care. Assuming that half of them are covered by other private institutions, then the remained 8307 people will need 930384 nursing care hours one year.

8307*56/30=15506

c. Office support

For support the system, we need one computer, 2 phones, and 2 working volunteers. Assuming that volunteer office staff works 6 hours a day, 365 days a year, the volunteer time is 4380 hours per year.

For educator time, we assume 2 times training one year for all staff. For each training, it lasts for 2 days, 16 hours.

For energy, we use electricity for lighting, and office machines every day. We use gas for 3 months, 90 days.

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Reference:

Government of Canada, S. C. (2017, February 8). Census Profile, 2016 Census - Victoria [Census metropolitan area], British Columbia and British Columbia [Province]. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CMACA&Code1=935&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1

HCRS-external-data-users-guide-2017-2018-en-web.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/HCRS-external-data-users-guide-2017-2018-en-web.pdf

Home Care Nurse Salaries in Victoria, BC | Indeed.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://ca.indeed.com/salaries/Home-Care-Nurse-Salaries,-Victoria-BC

Home Care Reporting System Data Users Guide, 2017–2018. (2018.), 35.

Practice Nurse Salaries in Victoria, BC | Indeed.com. (2018). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://ca.indeed.com/salaries/practice%20nurse-Salaries,-Victoria-BC

The Ultimate Nursing Education Resource Study Guide | NRSNG. (2018.). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://www.nrsng.com/resources/

Residential Rates. (2018.). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://www.bchydro.com/accounts-billing/rates-energy-use/electricity-rates/residential-rates.html