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Title:
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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF METAHEURISTIC OPTIMIZATION FOR RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN A HEALTHCARE SYSTEM USING DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION |
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Author(s):
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Thouraya Menyaoui, Soulef Khalfallah and Sonia Ayachi Ghannouchi |
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ISBN:
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978-989-8704-71-9 |
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Editors:
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Paula Miranda and Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2025 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Discrete-Event Simulation, Healthcare Management, Metaheuristic Optimization, Genetic Algorithm, OptQuest, Resource
Allocation, Patient Wait Time |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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37 |
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Last Page:
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43 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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Paper Abstract:
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Patient wait time is a critical performance indicator in healthcare systems, directly impacting patient satisfaction and
operational efficiency. This paper presents a comparative study of metaheuristic optimization methodologies applied to a
discrete-event simulation model of a maternity clinic. The objective is to identify the optimal allocation of staff resources
to minimize average patient wait time. We compare the results from two distinct metaheuristic approaches: one integrated
in the commercial optimization tool OptQuest, which utilizes Tabu Search and Scatter Search, and a custom-developed
Genetic Algorithm (GA) integrated with the simulation model. The results demonstrate that both metaheuristic approaches
discovered the same superior solution, significantly outperforming the baseline model. This study validates the use of
simulation-optimization as a powerful decision-support tool for complex healthcare workflows and provides a comparative
analysis of the strengths and convergence of different metaheuristic approaches. |
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