Dynamic Surgery Scheduling Based on an Improved Genetic Algorithm

We formulated a new stochastic programming formulation to solve the dynamic scheduling problem in a given set of elective surgeries in the day of operation. The problem is complicated by the fact that the exact surgery durations are not known in advance. Elective surgeries could be performed in parallel in a subset of operating rooms. The appointment times and assignments of surgeries were planned by an experienced nurses in advance. We present a mathematical model to capture the nature of dynamic scheduling problem. We propose an efficient solution based on an improved genetic algorithm (IGA). Our numerical results showed that dynamic scheduling with the IGA improves the resource utilization as measured by surgeon waiting time and operation room idle time.

Day surgery appointment scheduling with patient preferences and stochastic operation duration

BACKGROUND: Due to its fast service and high utilization, day surgery is becoming more and more important in the medical system. As a result, an effective day surgery scheduling can reasonably release the supply and demand pressure. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to investigate the day surgery scheduling problem with patient preferences and limited operation room for the sake of increasing operation efficiency and further decreasing surgery costs. METHODS: A multiple objective stochastic programming model is constructed to seek a satisfactory surgical scheduling for both patients and hospitals under different scenarios. Multi-objective genetic algorithm is designed to solve the model and different scales of scenarios are utilized to test the effectiveness of the algorithm and modeling process. RESULTS: Results show that the proposed model and algorithm can provide a feasible solution for maximizing individual preference of surgeons with surgery date and operation room utilization as well. CONCLUSIONS: Patient preference is proposed to be incorporated into day surgery scheduling, and the variability of surgery duration considered to seek a satisfactory surgery scheduling scheme for both patients and hospitals is more in line with the actual hospital situation.