Applying Queuing Theory and Mixed Integer Programming to Blood Center Nursing Schedules of a Large Hospital in China

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.