A Mathematical Model for Scheduling of Elective and Emergency Patients in the Operating Rooms

Abstract: Facing numerous challenges has created the need for efficient use of limited resources in healthcare systems. In this regard, operating rooms (ORs) are of utmost importance as they generate a significant portion of the hospital’s revenues. ORs managers need to take into consideration several conflicting priorities such as surgeons’ schedules, patients’ preferences and arrival time, uncertainty in surgery durations, and ORs availability. Uncertainties, limited resources, and increased patient demands make the ORs planning and scheduling one of the most complex tasks in healthcare systems. Healthcare providers are under pressure to decrease hospital costs, improve patients waiting time, and optimally allocate available resources. Accordingly, this study is about developing an efficient OR planning and scheduling system to minimize ORs costs and improve patients waiting time. In this respect, a mathematical model is developed to schedule patients in ORs. Two sources of schedule disruptions are considered in the model: (i) the arrival of emergency patients, and (ii) changes in the surgical durations. In the presented case study, a standard optimization algorithm, LINGO 18, is used to solve the developed model.

Key words: operating rooms, scheduling, optimization

JEL code: C61