Home Health Care Problem with Synchronization Visits and Considering Samples Transferring Time: A Case Study in...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Management
• Operations Research
• Nursing

Background:

• Growing populations strain healthcare facilities, necessitating cost-effective solutions.
• Home health care (HHC) offers an efficient alternative to hospital care, crucial for elderly patients and infection prevention.
• Existing HHC models often overlook nurse preferences and skill integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimized nurse scheduling model for home health care.
• To integrate nurse working preferences and skill levels into HHC service provision.
• To account for sample transfer times, ensuring accurate patient testing in HHC.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Genetic Algorithms and Particle Swarm Optimization for large-scale problem-solving.
• Implemented a three-stage scheduling procedure for nurse task assignment.
• Incorporated time windows for both nurses and tasks, alongside sample transfer time.

Main Results:

• The proposed model demonstrated effective strategy generation, even in emergency situations.
• Successfully integrated nurse preferences and skills into the scheduling process.
• The model proved effective in a case study conducted in Tehran, Iran.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a novel approach to optimizing home health care nurse scheduling.
• Findings have significant implications for health service management and policy.
• Offers theoretical and practical insights into enhancing health system strategies for HHC.