Author/Authors :
Luo, Li Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Liu, Xiaofei Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Cui, Xinyuan Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Cheng, Yuanjun Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Yu, Xinzhu Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Li, Yue Business School - Sichuan University - Chengdu, China , Jiang, Li Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital - Chengdu, China , Tan, Mingying West China Hospital - Chengdu, China
Abstract :
Blood centers in large hospitals in China are facing serious problems, including complex patient queues and inflexible nursing
schedules. This study is aimed at developing a flexible scheduling method for blood center nurses. By systematically analyzing
the constraints that affect scheduling, a flexible scheduling model is established based on queuing theory and mixed integer
programming. This combined model can reasonably determine the number of nurses required during a given working period
and flexibly arrange nursing schedules while ensuring sufficient rest periods for individual nurses. Results of numerical studies
conducted using data from a large hospital in China show a significant improvement in patient waiting time performance
metrics over the hospital’s current practice. In addition, the nurses’ workloads and rest periods are well balanced, indicating that
the proposed method can effectively and flexibly arrange nursing shifts in blood centers.
