A Generic Approach to Optimize a Blueprint Schedule for Multidisciplinary Group Therapy in Rehabilitation Care

Ingeborg A. Bikker (), Jasper H. Buil (), Brigitte van den Bosch (), Nydia van As (), Wieteke A. M. J. van der Heijden-Ermers (), Charlotte Reijers (), Nikky Kortbeek (), Mark van Houdenhoven () and Richard J. Boucherie ()
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Ingeborg A. Bikker: Centre for Healthcare Operations Improvement and Research (CHOIR), University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands; and Healthcare Logistics Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands
Jasper H. Buil: Healthcare Logistics Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands; and Rhythm, 2719 EA Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Brigitte van den Bosch: Rehabilitation Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands
Nydia van As: Rehabilitation Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands
Wieteke A. M. J. van der Heijden-Ermers: Rehabilitation Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands
Charlotte Reijers: Rehabilitation Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands
Nikky Kortbeek: Centre for Healthcare Operations Improvement and Research (CHOIR), University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands; and Healthcare Logistics Department, Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands; and Rhythm, 2719 EA Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Mark van Houdenhoven: Sint Maartenskliniek, 6574 NA Ubbergen (Nijmegen), Netherlands; and Department of Economics, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HK Nijmegen, Netherlands
Richard J. Boucherie: Centre for Healthcare Operations Improvement and Research (CHOIR), University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands

Interfaces, 2025, vol. 55, issue 4, 296-318

Abstract: Rehabilitation care consists of a wide variety of treatments organized in appointment series for individual and group therapy. Blueprint scheduling is a tactical approach to support appointment booking at the operational level. A blueprint schedule prescribes both the timing of group therapy sessions and the allocation of therapist and treatment room capacity to these sessions and thus defines which appointment types can be booked on which time slots. It facilitates providing treatment at the right time, by the right therapist(s), at a suitable location, and with a therapy load equally spread over day and week. This paper presents a structured generic approach for tactical capacity planning in multidisciplinary rehabilitation care. The generic approach includes optimization of a blueprint schedule using mixed-integer linear programming that was integrated in a decision support tool. We applied our approach in the rehabilitation center of Sint Maartenskliniek in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The resulting blueprint schedule enables Sint Maartenskliniek to meet demand for rehabilitation care at the right time, by the right therapist(s), and at a suitable location while spreading the therapy load. Our approach can be applied in similar multidisciplinary care settings, potentially improving quality of care, quality of labor, and costs of care.

Keywords: operations research; healthcare logistics; rehabilitation treatment planning; multidisciplinary planning; blueprint scheduling; linear programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:orinte:v:55:y:2025:i:4:p:296-318

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