Abstract
This paper presents a hybrid swarm-based optimization algorithm that combines genetic algorithm (GA) and variable neighborhood search (VNS) to deal with highly-constrained nurse scheduling problems in modern hospital environments. The problem is first divided into several sub-problems by the average principle. Then a genetic algorithm is used to solve the sub-problems including a subset of constraints. Better feasible solutions are built by a hybrid genetic algorithm; they are taken as the initial solution of the variable neighborhood search procedure. The proposed algorithm can be applied to other resource allocation problems with a large number of constraints. The experiment results show that our method can produce feasible solutions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Burke, E.K., Li, J., Qu, R.: A hybrid model of integer programming and variable neighborhood search. European Journal of Operational Research 203, 439–484 (2010)
Aickelin, U., Dowsland, K.A.: Exploiting problem structure in a genetic algorithm approach to a nurse rostering problem. Journal of Scheduling 3(3), 139–153 (2000)
Kawanaka, H., Yamamoto, K., Yoshikawa, T., Shinogi, T., Tsuruoka, S.: Genetic Algorithm with the Constraints for Nurse Scheduling Problem. Evolutionary Computation 2, 1123–1130 (2001)
Ohki, M., Morimoto, A., Miyake, K.: Nurse Scheduling by Using Cooperative GA with Efficient Mutation and Mountain-Climbing Operators. Intelligent Systems, 164–169 (2006)
Burke, E.: Variable neighborhood search for nurse rostering problems. Metaheuristics: Computer Decision-Making, 153–172 (2003)
Goodman, M.D., Dowsland, K.A., Thompson, J.M.: A grasp-knapsack hybrid for a nurse-scheduling problem. Journal of Heuristics 15, 351–379 (2009)
Gutjahr, W.J., Rauner, M.S.: An ACO algorithm for a dynamic regional nurse-scheduling problem in Austia. Computers & Operations Research 34, 642–666 (2007)
Maenhout, B., Vanhoucke, M.: An electromagnetic meta-heuristic for the nurse scheduling problem. Journal of Heuristics 13, 359–385 (2007)
Maenhout, B., Vanhoucke, M.: Comparison and hybridization of crossover operators for the nurse scheduling problem. Annals of Operations Research 159, 333–353 (2008)
Karp, R.M.: Reducibility among combinatorial problems. Complexity of Computer Computations, 85–103 (1972)
Tien, J.M., Kamiyama, A.: On manpower scheduling algorithms. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 24, 275–287 (1982)
Mladenovic, N., Hansen, P.: Variable neighbourhood search. Computers and Operations Research 24, 1097–1100 (1997)
Hansen, P., Mladenovic, N.: Variable neighbourhood search: Principles and applications. European Journal of Operational Research 130, 449–467 (1999)
Gonzáles, C.G., Pérez-Brito, D.: A variable neighbourhood search for solving the linear ordering problem. In: Proceedings of the Fourth Metaheuristics International Conference (MIC), pp. 181–185 (2001)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Zhang, Z., Hao, Z., Huang, H. (2011). Hybrid Swarm-Based Optimization Algorithm of GA & VNS for Nurse Scheduling Problem. In: Liu, B., Chai, C. (eds) Information Computing and Applications. ICICA 2011. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7030. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25255-6_48
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25255-6_48
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-25254-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-25255-6
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)