Generalising The Harmony Search Algorithm for Dynamic Nurse Schedule in Teaching Hospitals

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Date
2019-08
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KNUST
Abstract
In many hospitals all over the world, the task of efficiently scheduling nurses to meet the workforce demand is a daunting one. This is due to the sheer number of possible permutations possible, the high possibility that departments are understaffed, and the many stringent constraints that are naturally imposed by the working environment and contract. It usually takes a long time for an in￾charge to come up with a solution that is merely good enough, and such solutions may even contain errors. Many researchers over the decades have attempted to tackle this problem in various ways, with varying results. However, the unique nature of this problem makes it difficult to apply one solution to another area. This study is an important step in the search for a generalised solution that will be useful at least in all hospitals in Ghana. A novel Harmony Search Algorithm was adopted and implemented, while taking into account the pertinent local parameters. This was tested with an evaluation algorithm that was also adopted and implemented from literature. It was found that the algorithm excelled at generating fair and high quality schedules for one week with varying combinations of constraints, but faltered when the scheduling period was increased to 2 weeks and beyond.
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A Thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Department of Computer Engineering College of Engineering
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