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Nursing-patient assignment optimization model using Lean Six Sigma

Abstract:

In scenarios with high healthcare costs and a decreasing availability of professional nursing staff, nursing human resource planning becomes a critical factor to guarantee a minimum care level for the patients. The conditions are more critical for developing countries, where the lack of modern equipment and information systems reduce the nursing time spent on patient care. We present an optimization model that supports daily nursing-patient assignment per ward, based on a binary logistic regression developed through the application of the DMAIC roadmap to pbkp_redict the number of nurses required per ward. The model incorporates an essential concept of Lean by focusing on the response variable "nursing time" composed exclusively by direct or indirect care of patients. The model was tested on an Ecuadorian Children's Hospital, and the results suggest that the combination of optimization and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools may support a short-term planning of nursing staff even in a highly variable environment like healthcare units in developing countries.