Variable neighborhood search for healthcare providers rostering: a comprehensive review and future research agenda

Moustafa Abdelwanis (), Eman Ouda (), Dima Al Absi (), Firda Rahmadani (), Mecit Can Emre Simsekler () and Andrei Sleptchenko ()
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Moustafa Abdelwanis: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering
Eman Ouda: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering
Dima Al Absi: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering
Firda Rahmadani: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering
Mecit Can Emre Simsekler: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering
Andrei Sleptchenko: Khalifa University of Science & Technology, Department of Management Science & Engineering

Journal of Heuristics, 2026, vol. 32, issue 1, No 2, 25 pages

Abstract: Abstract Rostering problems in healthcare mainly involve the optimal allocation of providers, such as physicians and nurses, to work shifts while considering various constraints, including coverage needs, operational requirements, and providers’ personal preferences. This is often a challenging task to solve, and a metaheuristic method that has started increasing attention is the Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS). Despite some evidence on the use of VNS in healthcare, no systematic reviews have comprehensively focused on rostering healthcare providers. Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap and conduct a comprehensive analysis of VNS in a specific healthcare rostering context. In total, 30 articles published between 2008 and 2025 were selected for analysis. The articles were further examined for their research objectives, VNS algorithm designs, and experimental results. The results indicated various applications of VNS in rostering problems, such as multi-objective provider rostering, healthcare provider rostering with preferences, and provider rostering with flexible working hours. Furthermore, our analysis examines the solution approaches, underlying assumptions of the proposed models, and the design of numerical experiments reported in the studies. This systematic review underscores the effectiveness of VNS in addressing rostering problems and identifies potential directions for future research aimed at improving both model formulations and solution methodologies.

Keywords: Variable Neighborhood Search; Metaheuristics; Optimization; Resource allocation; Rostering healthcare providers; Healthcare Operations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/s10732-025-09574-1

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