Regresar

Mathematical programming model for planning of operating rooms at a public hospital in the city of Guayaquil

Abstract:

Operating rooms are part of the most valuable resources of a hospital. Patients waiting for getting into this service could be, patients who need pre-programmed surgical interventions or patients who need to be operated urgently. This work focusses on the first case mentioned. In this context, the planning of a surgical center in a hospital becomes a critical process and at the same time a complex issue. A suitable resolution to this problem is critical to reach an efficient use of its resources and above all to increase the chances of improving the quality of life of patients. The complexity of the planning lies in the evaluation of certain variables which interact in this process. Among these are: the number of available operating theatres, the availability of doctors, the duration of surgical procedures, the exclusive use of an operating suite for some procedures. The patient priority to be operated is another variable to consider, which is based on the criteria of the doctor who evaluates the time of a patient can wait for surgery according to the diagnosis. These features have been regarded in a linear programming model to maximize the number of patients assigned to a doctor and operating room on a given day. As a result, it was found that the hospital can assist 482 patients by placing an operating room only for cases of traumatology, being greater than the number of patients treated applying the model with all the operating rooms. Furthermore, the results indicate that the allocation time of a patient was reduced, from 8 hours with the manual process to 2 hours with the proposed model.