Task scheduling in long-term care facilities: A client-centered approach. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lieder, Alexander; Moeke, Dennis; Koole, Ger; Stolletz, Raik
• Is Part Of: Operations research for health care. Volume 6(2015:Sep.)
• Page Start: 11
• Page End: 17
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Residential care -- Task scheduling -- Dynamic programming; Medical care -- Mathematical models -- Periodicals; Medical policy -- Mathematical models -- Periodicals; Health services administration -- Mathematical models -- Periodicals; Operations research -- Periodicals; Operations Research -- Periodicals; Health Services Research -- Periodicals; Health Policy -- Periodicals; Delivery of Health Care -- Periodicals; 362.106805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.orhc.2015.06.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2211-6923

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, we analyze a task scheduling problem with small time windows and care workers with different levels of qualification in a nursing home. A set of care tasks has to be assigned to a given number of care workers, so that the total earliness and tardiness from the nursing home residents' preferred time is minimized. To optimally solve this scheduling problem, we formulate a mixed integer program (MIP) and develop a dynamic programming (DP) approach. The numerical analysis shows the reliability of this optimization approach as well as of a heuristic DP approach. A sensitivity analysis with real-world demand data shows the impact of hierarchical qualification levels and large-scale scheduling.