calc_target_mean_wait: Average Waiting Time

In NHSRwaitinglist: Waiting List Metrics Using Queuing Theory

Average Waiting Time

Description

This calculates the target mean wait given the two inputs of target_wait and a numerical value for factor. The average wait is actually the target mean wait and is calculated as follows: target_wait / factor. If we want to have a chance between 1.8%-0.2% of making a waiting time target, then the average patient should have a waiting time between a quarter and a sixth of the target. Therefore: The mean wait should sit somewhere between target_wait/factor=6 < Average Waiting Time < target_wait/factor=4.

Usage

calc_target_mean_wait(target_wait, factor = 4)

Arguments

target_wait	Numeric value of the number of weeks that has been set as the target within which the patient should be seen.
factor	Numeric factor used in average wait calculation - to get a quarter of the target use factor=4 and one sixth of the target use factor = 6 etc. Defaults to 4.

Value

Numeric value of target mean waiting time to achieve a given target wait.

Examples

# If the target wait is 52 weeks then the target mean wait with a factor of 4
# would be 13 weeks and with a factor of 6 it would be 8.67 weeks.
calc_target_mean_wait(52, 4)

NHSRwaitinglist documentation built on April 3, 2025, 10:28 p.m.