Therapy scheduling and therapy planning at hospitals

Abstract

This paper presents two decision problems, a therapy scheduling and a therapy planning problem, that both arise at psychiatric departments in hospitals. In comparison to other medical departments, the psychiatric treatment includes an extensive therapy program, where various therapies are offered to the patients. Therapies include, e.g., discussion groups, relaxation courses, and artisanal activities. In the therapy scheduling problem, all these therapies have to be scheduled over the week and they have to fulfill a number of constraints (e.g., lunch breaks, precedence relations). Besides the therapy scheduling problem, we furthermore address a therapy planning problem for the patients. Here, therapy plans are defined for the patients, i.e., it has to be decided what therapies the patients attend. So far the therapy schedule as well as the therapy plans have been conducted by hand. To support the planning, we develop mathematical models that generate a therapy schedule and assign therapy plans to the patients. Through optimal therapy planning, hospitals can automate and support the planning processes and can improve the quality of services offered to the patients.