Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital

Effective crew scheduling in hospitals with multiple personnel groups is essential for time efficiency and fair workload distribution. This study focuses on optimizing shift scheduling for a team of nurses, doctors, and caregivers working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a university h...

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Main Authors: Müfide Narlı, Onur Derse
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3610
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author Müfide Narlı
Onur Derse
author_facet Müfide Narlı
Onur Derse
author_sort Müfide Narlı
collection DOAJ
description Effective crew scheduling in hospitals with multiple personnel groups is essential for time efficiency and fair workload distribution. This study focuses on optimizing shift scheduling for a team of nurses, doctors, and caregivers working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a university hospital. The model is implemented and solved using GAMS 23.5 software to minimize total staffing costs while ensuring balanced shift allocations. The scheduling process in PICUs is influenced by multiple factors, including staff skills, experience levels, personal preferences, contractual agreements, and hospital demands. Since these factors affect doctors, nurses, and caregivers differently, the model considers each personnel group separately while integrating them into a unified optimization framework. The proposed model successfully generates an annual optimal shift schedule for 10 doctors, 14 nurses, and 9 caregivers, ensuring equitable workload distribution and compliance with hospital regulations. By implementing this scheduling approach, employee satisfaction is enhanced, service quality is improved, and administrative workload is reduced. Additionally, the model ensures a well-balanced distribution of responsibilities, minimizes scheduling inefficiencies, and significantly reduces the time required for shift planning. Ultimately, this study provides a fast, fair, and cost-effective solution for hospital workforce management.
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spelling doaj-art-e26b0ec209274e54bc9f8fd2d03e948b2025-08-20T02:09:13ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157361010.3390/app15073610Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University HospitalMüfide Narlı0Onur Derse1Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Çukurova University, Adana 01330, TürkiyeDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tarsus University, Mersin 33400, TürkiyeEffective crew scheduling in hospitals with multiple personnel groups is essential for time efficiency and fair workload distribution. This study focuses on optimizing shift scheduling for a team of nurses, doctors, and caregivers working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of a university hospital. The model is implemented and solved using GAMS 23.5 software to minimize total staffing costs while ensuring balanced shift allocations. The scheduling process in PICUs is influenced by multiple factors, including staff skills, experience levels, personal preferences, contractual agreements, and hospital demands. Since these factors affect doctors, nurses, and caregivers differently, the model considers each personnel group separately while integrating them into a unified optimization framework. The proposed model successfully generates an annual optimal shift schedule for 10 doctors, 14 nurses, and 9 caregivers, ensuring equitable workload distribution and compliance with hospital regulations. By implementing this scheduling approach, employee satisfaction is enhanced, service quality is improved, and administrative workload is reduced. Additionally, the model ensures a well-balanced distribution of responsibilities, minimizes scheduling inefficiencies, and significantly reduces the time required for shift planning. Ultimately, this study provides a fast, fair, and cost-effective solution for hospital workforce management.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3610healthcare systempediatric intensive care unitoptimizationscheduling
spellingShingle Müfide Narlı
Onur Derse
Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
Applied Sciences
healthcare system
pediatric intensive care unit
optimization
scheduling
title Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
title_full Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
title_fullStr Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
title_full_unstemmed Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
title_short Optimal Crew Scheduling in an Intensive Care Unit: A Case Study in a University Hospital
title_sort optimal crew scheduling in an intensive care unit a case study in a university hospital
topic healthcare system
pediatric intensive care unit
optimization
scheduling
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3610
work_keys_str_mv AT mufidenarlı optimalcrewschedulinginanintensivecareunitacasestudyinauniversityhospital
AT onurderse optimalcrewschedulinginanintensivecareunitacasestudyinauniversityhospital