A General Framework for Physician Rostering Using Mixed-Integer Programming and a Web-Based Graphical User Interface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a flexible, general framework for physician rostering that uses mixed-integer programming and a user-friendly web GUI, enabling easy adaptation and improved roster quality across various hospital departments.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, adaptable MIP-based physician rostering framework with an intuitive web interface, applicable across different hospital settings and constraints.

Findings

Effective in three hospital departments with real-world data

Achieves comparable or better roster quality than existing models

Already in daily use in at least one department

Abstract

Physician rostering in hospitals is complex due to varying shift structures, qualifications, and department- or hospital-specific regulations. Most existing optimization models are highly tailored to a single hospital or department and rarely see practical use. We present a general framework and a corresponding mixed-integer programming (MIP) model for physician rostering that accommodates a wide variety of roster structures and constraints. The model is integrated into a web application with an advanced graphical user interface (GUI), allowing physicians to specify preferences and hospital staff to configure the MIP model to their roster requirements without any mathematical or technical background. This approach enables easy adaptation to different hospitals or departments and straightforward updates in response to structural changes, such as new duties or modified qualifications. The applicability and effectiveness of the framework are demonstrated using real-world data from three departments in different hospitals specializing in internal medicine, cardiology, and orthopedics/trauma surgery. In one department, the system is already in everyday use, while in the other two, our model achieves comparable or improved roster quality relative to existing department-specific models, highlighting its potential as a versatile and practical tool for physician rostering.