1
|
Lin CC, Shen JH, Chen SF, Chen HM, Huang HM. Developing a Cost-Effective Surgical Scheduling System Applying Lean Thinking and Toyota's Methods for Surgery-Related Big Data for Improved Data Use in Hospitals: User-Centered Design Approach. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e52185. [PMID: 38787610 PMCID: PMC11161709 DOI: 10.2196/52185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Surgical scheduling is pivotal in managing daily surgical sequences, impacting patient experience and hospital resources significantly. With operating rooms costing approximately US $36 per minute, efficient scheduling is vital. However, global practices in surgical scheduling vary, largely due to challenges in predicting individual surgeon times for diverse patient conditions. Inspired by the Toyota Production System's efficiency in addressing similar logistical challenges, we applied its principles as detailed in the book "Lean Thinking" by Womack and Jones, which identifies processes that do not meet customer needs as wasteful. This insight is critical in health care, where waste can compromise patient safety and medical quality. OBJECTIVE This study aims to use lean thinking and Toyota methods to develop a more efficient surgical scheduling system that better aligns with user needs without additional financial burdens. METHODS We implemented the 5 principles of the Toyota system: specifying value, identifying the value stream, enabling flow, establishing pull, and pursuing perfection. Value was defined in terms of meeting the customer's needs, which in this context involved developing a responsive and efficient scheduling system. Our approach included 2 subsystems: one handling presurgery patient data and another for intraoperative and postoperative data. We identified inefficiencies in the presurgery data subsystem and responded by creating a comprehensive value stream map of the surgical process. We developed 2 Excel (Microsoft Corporation) macros using Visual Basic for Applications. The first calculated average surgery times from intra- or postoperative historic data, while the second estimated surgery durations and generated concise, visually engaging scheduling reports from presurgery data. We assessed the effectiveness of the new system by comparing task completion times and user satisfaction between the old and new systems. RESULTS The implementation of the revised scheduling system significantly reduced the overall scheduling time from 301 seconds to 261 seconds (P=.02), with significant time reductions in the revised process from 99 seconds to 62 seconds (P<.001). Despite these improvements, approximately 21% of nurses preferred the older system for its familiarity. The new system protects patient data privacy and streamlines schedule dissemination through a secure LINE group (LY Corp), ensuring seamless flow. The design of the system allows for real-time updates and has been effectively monitoring surgical durations daily for over 3 years. The "pull" principle was demonstrated when an unplanned software issue prompted immediate, user-led troubleshooting, enhancing system reliability. Continuous improvement efforts are ongoing, except for the preoperative patient confirmation step, which requires further enhancement to ensure optimal patient safety. CONCLUSIONS Lean principles and Toyota's methods, combined with computer programming, can revitalize surgical scheduling processes. They offer effective solutions for surgical scheduling challenges and enable the creation of a novel surgical scheduling system without incurring additional costs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Chung Lin
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- General Education Center, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jian-Hong Shen
- Department of Finance, Chihlee University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Fang Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Ming Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Meng Huang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Verma AA, Trbovich P, Mamdani M, Shojania KG. Grand rounds in methodology: key considerations for implementing machine learning solutions in quality improvement initiatives. BMJ Qual Saf 2024; 33:121-131. [PMID: 38050138 DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2022-015713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) solutions are increasingly entering healthcare. They are complex, sociotechnical systems that include data inputs, ML models, technical infrastructure and human interactions. They have promise for improving care across a wide range of clinical applications but if poorly implemented, they may disrupt clinical workflows, exacerbate inequities in care and harm patients. Many aspects of ML solutions are similar to other digital technologies, which have well-established approaches to implementation. However, ML applications present distinct implementation challenges, given that their predictions are often complex and difficult to understand, they can be influenced by biases in the data sets used to develop them, and their impacts on human behaviour are poorly understood. This manuscript summarises the current state of knowledge about implementing ML solutions in clinical care and offers practical guidance for implementation. We propose three overarching questions for potential users to consider when deploying ML solutions in clinical care: (1) Is a clinical or operational problem likely to be addressed by an ML solution? (2) How can an ML solution be evaluated to determine its readiness for deployment? (3) How can an ML solution be deployed and maintained optimally? The Quality Improvement community has an essential role to play in ensuring that ML solutions are translated into clinical practice safely, effectively, and ethically.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amol A Verma
- Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Patricia Trbovich
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammad Mamdani
- Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kaveh G Shojania
- Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lin YK, Yen CH. Genetic Algorithm for Solving the No-Wait Three-Stage Surgery Scheduling Problem. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11050739. [PMID: 36900744 PMCID: PMC10000950 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11050739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this research, we consider a deterministic three-stage operating room surgery scheduling problem. The three successive stages are pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgery. The no-wait constraint is considered among the three stages. Surgeries are known in advance (elective). Multiple resources are considered throughout the surgical process: PHU (preoperative holding unit) beds in the first stage, ORs (operating rooms) in the second stage, and PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) beds in the third stage. The objective is to minimize the makespan. The makespan is defined as the maximum end time of the last activity in stage 3. Minimizing the makespan not only maximizes the utilization of ORs but also improves patient satisfaction by allowing treatments to be delivered to patients in a timely manner. We proposed a genetic algorithm (GA) for solving the operating room scheduling problem. Randomly generated problem instances were tested to evaluate the performance of the proposed GA. The computational results show that overall, the GA deviated from the lower bound (LB) by 3.25% on average, and the average computation time of the GA was 10.71 s. We conclude that the GA can efficiently find near-optimal solutions to the daily three-stage operating room surgery scheduling problem.
Collapse
|
4
|
Yuniartha DR, Hans FR, Masruroh NA, Herliansyah MK. Adapting duration categorical value to accommodate duration variability in a next-day operating room scheduling. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2023.101180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
|
5
|
Ergonomic Risk Minimization in the Portuguese Wine Industry: A Task Scheduling Optimization Method Based on the Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm. Processes (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/pr10071364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the wine industry, task planning is based on decision-making processes that are influenced by technical and organizational constraints as well as regulatory limitations. A characteristic constraint inherent to this sector concerns occupational risks, in which companies must reduce and mitigate work-related accidents, resulting in lower operating costs and a gain in human, financial, and material efficiency. This work proposes a task scheduling optimization model using a methodology based on the ant colony optimization approach to mitigate the ergonomic risks identified in general winery production processes by estimating the metabolic energy expenditure during the execution of tasks. The results show that the tasks were reorganized according to their degree of ergonomic risk, preserving an acceptable priority sequence of tasks with operational affinity and satisfactory efficiency from the point of view of the operationalization of processes, while the potential ergonomic risks are simultaneously minimized by the rotation and alternation of operative teams between those tasks with higher and lower values of metabolic energy required. We also verified that tasks with lower ergonomic-load requirements influence the reorganization of the task sequence by lowering the overall value of metabolic energy, which is reflected in the reduction of the ergonomic load.
Collapse
|
6
|
A discrete squirrel search algorithm for the surgical cases assignment problem. Appl Soft Comput 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.asoc.2022.108753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
7
|
Appointment Scheduling Problem in Complexity Systems of the Healthcare Services: A Comprehensive Review. JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING 2022; 2022:5819813. [PMID: 35281532 PMCID: PMC8913063 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5819813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive review of Appointment Scheduling (AS) in healthcare service while we propose appointment scheduling problems and various applications and solution approaches in healthcare systems. For this purpose, more than 150 scientific papers are critically reviewed. The literature and the articles are categorized based on several problem specifications, i.e., the flow of patients, patient preferences, and random arrival time and service. Several methods have been proposed to shorten the patient waiting time resulting in the shortest idle times in healthcare centers. Among existing modeling such as simulation models, mathematical optimization techniques, Markov chain, and artificial intelligence are the most practical approaches to optimizing or improving patient satisfaction in healthcare centers. In this study, various criteria are selected for structuring the recent literature dealing with outpatient scheduling problems at the strategic, tactical, or operational levels. Based on the review papers, some new overviews, problem settings, and hybrid modeling approaches are highlighted.
Collapse
|
8
|
Chen PS, Tsai CC, Dang JF, Huang WT. Developing three-phase modified bat algorithms to solve medical staff scheduling problems while considering minimal violations of preferences and mean workload. Technol Health Care 2021; 30:519-540. [PMID: 34334437 DOI: 10.3233/thc-202547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This research studies a medical staff scheduling problem, which includes government regulations and hospital regulations (hard constraints) and the medical staff's preferences (soft constraints). OBJECTIVE The objective function is to minimize the violations (or dissatisfaction) of medical staff's preferences. METHODS This study develops three variants of the three-phase modified bat algorithms (BAs), named BA1, BA2, and BA3, in order to satisfy the hard constraints, minimize the dissatisfaction of the medical staff and balance the workload of the medical staff. To ensure workload balance, this study balances the workload among medical staff without increasing the objective function values. RESULTS Based on the numerical results, the BA3 outperforms the BA1, BA2, and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The robustness of the BA1, BA2, and BA3 is verified. Finally, conclusions are drawn, and directions for future research are highlighted. CONCLUSIONS The framework of this research can be used as a reference for other hospitals seeking to determine their future medical staff schedule.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Shun Chen
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Che Tsai
- Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jr-Fong Dang
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management, Feng Chia University, Seatwen, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Tso Huang
- Business School, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China.,Department of Business Administration, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Rodrigues AL, Torres FBG, Gomes DC, Carvalho DR, Santos EAP, Cubas MR. Workflow and decision making of operating room nurses: integrative review. Rev Gaucha Enferm 2020; 41:e20190387. [PMID: 32813811 DOI: 10.1590/1983-1447.2020.20190387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Identify workflow factors in the operating room and their implications, which influence nurses' decision making. METHOD Integrative review of the literature conducted through searches in the databases: Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences; Nursing Database; Pubmed; Scopus and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The results were organized into factors related to positive, negative and positive and negative implications. RESULTS The sample of 18 articles included examples of factors with positive implications, such as preoperative data collection, negative outcomes, such as lack of human, material and structural resources, and positive and negative outcomes, as preparation for certification. CONCLUSIONS Factors that influence the decision-making process of nurses are associated to different conditions: client- related conditions and those conditions that go beyond the domain and organization of the surgical environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Luzia Rodrigues
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
| | | | - Denilsen Carvalho Gomes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
| | - Deborah Ribeiro Carvalho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
| | - Eduardo Alves Portela Santos
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia de Produção e Sistemas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
| | - Marcia Regina Cubas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia em Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Martin MW, Ragsdale C. Navigating the Best Path to Optimality in a University Grants Administration Workload Assignment Problem. DECISION SCIENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/deci.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Wydick Martin
- School of BusinessMeredith College 3800 Hillsborough Street Raleigh NC 27607
| | - Cliff Ragsdale
- Department of Business Information TechnologyVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 1007 Pamplin Hall (0235) Blacksburg VA 24061
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Application of Operational Research Techniques in Operating Room Scheduling Problems: Literature Overview. JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING 2018; 2018:5341394. [PMID: 30008991 PMCID: PMC6020466 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5341394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Increased healthcare costs are pushing hospitals to reduce costs and increase the quality of care. Operating rooms are the most important source of income and expense for hospitals. Therefore, the hospital management focuses on the effectiveness of schedules and plans. This study includes analyses of recent research on operating room scheduling and planning. Most studies in the literature, from 2000 to the present day, were evaluated according to patient characteristics, performance measures, solution techniques used in the research, the uncertainty of the problem, applicability of the research, and the planning strategy to be dealt within the solution. One hundred seventy studies were examined in detail, after scanning the Emerald, Science Direct, JSTOR, Springer, Taylor and Francis, and Google Scholar databases. To facilitate the identification of these studies, they are grouped according to the different criteria of concern and then, a detailed overview is presented.
Collapse
|
12
|
Khlif Hachicha H, Zeghal Mansour F. Two-MILP models for scheduling elective surgeries within a private healthcare facility. Health Care Manag Sci 2016; 21:376-392. [PMID: 27817060 DOI: 10.1007/s10729-016-9390-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This paper deals with an Integrated Elective Surgery-Scheduling Problem (IESSP) that arises in a privately operated healthcare facility. It aims to optimize the resource utilization of the entire surgery process including pre-operative, per-operative and post-operative activities. Moreover, it addresses a specific feature of private facilities where surgeons are independent service providers and may conduct their surgeries in different private healthcare facilities. Thus, the problem requires the assignment of surgery patients to hospital beds, operating rooms and recovery beds as well as their sequencing over a 1-day period while taking into account surgeons' availability constraints. We present two Mixed Integer Linear Programs (MILP) that model the IESSP as a three-stage hybrid flow-shop scheduling problem with recirculation, resource synchronization, dedicated machines, and blocking constraints. To assess the empirical performance of the proposed models, we conducted experiments on real-world data of a Tunisian private clinic: Clinique Ennasr and on randomly generated instances. Two criteria were minimised: the patients' average length of stay and the number of patients' overnight stays. The computational results show that the proposed models can solve instances with up to 44 surgical cases in a reasonable CPU time using a general-purpose MILP solver.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hejer Khlif Hachicha
- UR-OASIS, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002, Tunis, Tunisia.
| | - Farah Zeghal Mansour
- UR-OASIS, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 1002, Tunis, Tunisia
| |
Collapse
|