A real-time reactive framework for the surgical case sequencing problem
This work addresses scheduling inefficiencies in hospital operating rooms, particularly for large public hospitals with long waiting lists and high non-elective demand, though it is incremental as it builds on existing heuristic methods.
The paper tackled the surgical case sequencing problem in multiple operating rooms by developing a real-time reactive framework using constructive heuristics, which maintained schedule feasibility while increasing operating theatre utilization and throughput and reducing waiting times for non-elective patients.
In this paper, we address the multiple operating room (OR) surgical case sequencing problem (SCSP). The objective is to maximise total OR utilisation during standard opening hours. This work uses a case study of a large Australian public hospital with long surgical waiting lists and high levels of non-elective demand. Due to the complexity of the SCSP and the size of the instances considered herein, heuristic techniques are required to solve the problem. We present constructive heuristics based on both a modified block scheduling policy and an open scheduling policy. A number of real-time reactive strategies are presented that can be used to maintain schedule feasibility in the case of disruptions. Results of computational experiments show that this approach maintains schedule feasibility in real-time, whilst increasing operating theatre (OT) utilisation and throughput, and reducing the waiting time of non-elective patients. The framework presented here is applicable to the real-life scheduling of OT departments, and we provide recommendations regarding implementation of the approach.