Re: st: What is this problem called?

[Michael Foster <mike4kids@gmail.com>]

Hi Kiernan,

The key issue is what constitutes "stabilizes"--to me, that sounds like 
a time series problem. 
I'm not a time series expert (really, I'm a time series ignoramus).   
What I would do, though, is look in a time-series book to find a way to 
determine a test for stability then look at how adding time points 
affects this test.
Presumably from the first to the second surgery and so on, you could 
reject stability.  Then by the kth, you no longer could do so-

something like that--michael


Kieran McCaul wrote:

> Gidday,
>
> A colleague has asked me the following question:
>
> Suppose a surgeon performs a number of surgical procedures using a new
> technique.  He/she records the operating time for each operation.  How
> would the data be analysed so as to determine the number of procedures
> performed before the operating time stabilises?
>
> I haven't come across a problem quite like this before, but it seems to
> me that it's a question that might arise, for example, when evaluating
> the implementation of new industrial or manufacturing processes.
>
> I have an idea about how I would approach this analysis, but first I'd
> like to have a look at what others may have done.
>
> Searching the literature is difficult though if you don't know what the
> problem is called.
>
> Does anyone recognise this problem or something analogous to it and can
> you give me a name I can search on or point me to a few relevant papers.
> I can back-track though the literature from there.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Kieran
>
> ______________________________________________
> Kieran McCaul MPH PhD
> WA Centre for Health & Ageing (M573)
> University of Western Australia
> Level 6, Ainslie House
> 48 Murray St
> Perth 6000
> email: kamccaul@meddent.uwa.edu.au
> http://myprofile.cos.com/mccaul 
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
>
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