ABSTRACT
Healthcare management includes many different planning tasks. Ÿese tasks are o·en interconnected bytheflowofpatientsthroughclinicalpathways,ortheuseofresourcesacrosssuchpathways.Many oftheseplanningtasksinvolvethecreationofschedulesandsequences.Someofthemorecommon scheduling scenarios include:
•Creating rosters for nurse and physicians •Scheduling patient appointments •Scheduling the use of operating theatres •Scheduling regular treatment (for example, radiotherapy and chemotherapy)
O·entheschedulesarestillcreatedbyhand.Producingthemmanuallywithoutthehelpofadecision support system has two significant disadvantages:
1.Ÿeschedulesproducedaresuboptimalanddonotutilizepreciousresourcesasefficientlyaspossible.Ÿiscanhaveanumberofadverseeffectssuchasunnecessaryexpenditure,inferiorquality of patient care, and dissatisfied employees.
