Fuzzy heuristic approaches for healthcare staff scheduling
- Authors: Mutingi, Michael
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Health facilities - Personnel management , Nursing services - Administration , Production scheduling - Data processing , Hours of labor - Data processing , Fuzzy systems
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/56218 , uj:16345
- Description: Abstract: Healthcare staff scheduling is often inundated with fuzzy conflicting (i) patient preferences (ii) staff preferences, and (iii) management goals. In such a fuzzy multi-criteria situation, the decision maker needs interactive fuzzy evaluation heuristics for effective decision making. Hence, the aim of this thesis is to develop fuzzy multi-criteria heuristic approaches for solving healthcare staff scheduling problems. This thesis comprises three parts: The first part develops multi-criteria fuzzy heuristic approaches to address nurse scheduling problems with conflicting fuzzy goals and nurse preferences. An enhanced fuzzy simulated evolution algorithm and a novel fuzzy simulated metamorphosis algorithm are developed, based on fuzzy evaluation techniques and problem specific heuristics. The approaches can model fuzzy preferences, incorporate decision maker’s choices, and provide reliable solutions efficiently. The second part focuses on homecare staff scheduling in a home healthcare setting where management goals, staff preferences, and patient preferences are fuzzy. The objective is to construct high quality schedules with minimal violation of patient preferences, fair staff workload, and minimal schedules costs. A novel grouping particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed for the problem. Computational results show that the algorithm can efficiently provide a pool of optimal or near-optimal solutions. The third part focuses on daily assignment of healthcare tasks to care workers in a hospital setting, so that patients receive the expected healthcare service, howbeit, with minimal violation of restrictions on care giver capacity and task precedence relationships. By viewing the problem... , D.Ing.
- Full Text:
Short-term incentive schemes for hospital managers
- Authors: Malambe, Lucas , Bussin, Mark
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Compensation management - South Africa , Health facilities - Personnel management , incentives in the industry - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/226735 , uj:22932 , Citation: Malambe, L. & Bussin, M. 2013. Short-term incentive schemes for hospital managers. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1):1-9. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.487. , ISSN: 2071-078X (online) , ISSN: 1683-7584 (print)
- Description: Abstract: Short-term incentives, considered to be an extrinsic motivation, are commonly used to motivate performance. This study explored hospital managers’ perceptions of shortterm incentives in maximising performance and retention. Research purpose: The study explored the experiences, views and perceptions of private hospital managers in South Africa regarding the use of short-term incentives to maximise performance and retention, as well as the applicability of the findings to public hospitals. Motivation for the study: Whilst there is an established link between performance reward schemes and organisational performance, there is little understanding of the effects of shortterm incentives on the performance and retention of hospital managers within the South African context. Research design, approach, and method: The study used a qualitative research design: interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 19 hospital managers, and a thematic content analysis was performed. Main findings: Short-term incentives may not be the primary motivator for hospital managers, but they do play a critical role in sustaining motivation. Participants indicated that these schemes could also be applicable to public hospitals. Practical/managerial implications: Hospital managers are inclined to be more motivated by intrinsic than extrinsic factors. However, hospital managers (as middle managers) also seem to be motivated by short-term incentives. A combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators should thus be used to maximise performance and retention...
- Full Text: