WA2 - Santé / Healthcare 1
May 13 2026 09:00 – 10:40
Location: EY (blue)
Chaired by Paolo Landa
3 Presentations
Optimizing Healthcare Logistics via Process Mining: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda
Systematic review synthesizing 33 studies applying process mining to healthcare logistics. We map logistics domains, PM methods, KPIs, and gaps, highlighting predominance of single-site retrospective studies, inconsistent event-log reporting, and limited economic/environmental evaluations. We propose optimization-focused research directions for scalable, data-governed logistics improvements and stakeholder engagement across diverse hospital settings.
From Historical Templates to Hints: Selecting Effective Initializations for the Rack-Loading Problem
In autoclave sterilization, medical instruments must be loaded into non-stacking, height-adjustable racks while preserving similarity to validated historical configurations. We formulate this as a 3D bin-packing problem with non-overlap constraints, solved via CP-SAT. A geometric heuristic and MIP-based initialization framework leverage historical templates to improve feasibility, runtime, and layout similarity.
Towards Service-Quality-Aware Staff Rostering in Emergency Departments
Emergency Departments (EDs) must deliver timely care under highly variable demand while ensuring fair and sustainable working conditions for clinicians and nursing staff. Traditional rostering models primarily emphasize coverage and fairness, whereas the service quality delivered during a shift may also depend on the capability profile of the on-duty team (e.g., competencies, seniority, and experience). This study explores the integration of service quality considerations into ED staff rostering with the objective of levelling the expected capability across shifts while maintaining equity in assignments.
We formulate an integrated staff rostering problem that assigns physicians and nurses to shifts over a finite planning horizon. The model incorporates legal and organisational constraints (e.g., working-time rules, minimum rest periods, and shift succession), coverage and competency requirements, and preference-related constraints. Service quality levelling is modelled through indicators derived from staff capability profiles, with the objective of reducing variability in shift-level capability while balancing workload distribution and undesirable shifts. The proposed framework is designed to be evaluated using data from a Canadian hospital Emergency Department.
Current work focuses on implementing the optimization model and defining capability indicators reflecting team composition during each shift. The forthcoming computational experiments will explore how incorporating service-quality levelling influences roster feasibility, workload equity, and shift composition under realistic operational constraints. The analysis will also examine potential trade-offs between traditional rostering objectives and service capability balancing.
This study proposes a modelling framework that explicitly incorporates service quality considerations into ED staff rostering. By accounting for clinician and nursing profiles in shift composition, the approach aims to support more balanced and robust staffing plans. The model provides a foundation for future empirical evaluation, including analyses of downstream operational performance (e.g., waiting times, length of stay, left-without-being-seen) and, where data linkage is feasible, exploratory assessment of patient outcome proxies.
