SynthesisBMJ open2026
Methods for analysing patient flow between care settings: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo identify and appraise methods used to analyse patient flow across multiple care settings, and to describe how these methods have been applied to address health service research questions.
designWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science databases and Google Scholar search engine between 1 January 2013 and 10 June 2026 using a systematic search strategy to identify the relevant literature for this review. Descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis were used to characterise the included papers.
resultsTwenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Seven distinct methods and five health service research topics were identified. Most studies employed descriptive statistics and group comparison tests to provide a general description of the system. Discrete event simulation was more frequently used to simulate patient movement between settings. Furthermore, patient transfer volume and outcome, as well as capacity planning, were the most commonly studied health service research topics. This review highlights effective approaches-statistical analysis, mathematical modelling and computer simulation-for studying patient flow across care settings.
conclusionsStatistical analysis, mathematical modelling and computer simulation offer complementary approaches for analysing patient flow between care settings. Each method has distinct strengths and limitations. Applying more than one method may provide a richer understanding of patient flow. Future research may focus on comprehensive patient flow analysis, particularly in managing chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases in interconnected care settings and organisations.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.