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A mathematical programming approach for scheduling physicians in the emergency room

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Abstract

Preparing a schedule for physicians in the emergency room is a complex task, which requires taking into account a large number of (often conflicting) rules, related to various aspects: limits on the number of consecutive shifts or weekly hours, special rules for night shifts and weekends, seniority rules, vacation periods, individual preferences, ... In this paper, we present a mathematical programming approach to facilitate this task. The approach models the situation in a major hospital of the Montréal region (approximately 20 physicians are members of the working staff). We show that the approach can significantly reduce the time and the effort required to construct a six-month schedule. A human expert, member of the working staff, typically requires a whole dedicated week to perform this task, with the help of a spreadsheet. With our approach, a schedule can be completed in less than one day. Our approach also generates better schedules than those produced by the expert, because it can take into account simultaneously more rules than any human expert can do.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial Oil Limited, 111 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5W 1K3

    Huguette Beaulieu

  2. Département d'informatique et de recherche opérationnelle, Université de Montréal, P.O. Box 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3J7

    Jacques A. Ferland & Bernard Gendron

  3. Laboratoire d'informatique d'Avignon, Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, B.P. 1228, F-84911, Avignon, France

    Philippe Michelon

Authors
  1. Huguette Beaulieu
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  2. Jacques A. Ferland
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  3. Bernard Gendron
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  4. Philippe Michelon
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Beaulieu, H., Ferland, J.A., Gendron, B. et al. A mathematical programming approach for scheduling physicians in the emergency room. Health Care Management Science 3, 193–200 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019009928005

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