Yesterday, a Pioneers in Healthcare (PIHC) voucher was awarded for a research proposal titled: ‘Data science and OR scheduling: the perfect fit’. Applicant for the proposal are Aleida Braaksma (CHOIR, UT), Marloes Vermeer (ZGT), Marijn Hoek (ZGT), Johan Raymakers (ZGT) and Richard Boucherie (CHOIR, UT). The research will be a collaboration between CHOIR and ZGT.
Summary
The operating room (OR) schedule significantly impacts the performance of the OR and many interrelated departments. A critical component in OR scheduling is predicting surgery durations. These predictions are frequently incorrect, causing expensive OR idle time, OR overtime, and surgery cancellations. We plan to leverage recent advancements in machine learning to develop a model that generates accurate predictions of surgery duration. Subsequently, we will develop an algorithm that automatically generates optimal OR schedules – a process that is currently mainly done manually. Our algorithm will shorten patient wait times and waitlists, reduce workload, and result in smoother OR programs.
The voucher consits of €60,000 for a period of one year and will be used to appoint a researcher to carry out the research.
