Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.

Patients received by radiotherapy departments are diverse and may be diagnosed with different cancers. Therefore, they need different radiotherapy treatment plans and thus have different needs for medical resources. This research aims to explore the best method of scheduling the admission of patient...

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Main Authors: Ming Lv, Yi Li, Bo Kou, Zhili Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5503264?pdf=render
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author Ming Lv
Yi Li
Bo Kou
Zhili Zhou
author_facet Ming Lv
Yi Li
Bo Kou
Zhili Zhou
author_sort Ming Lv
collection DOAJ
description Patients received by radiotherapy departments are diverse and may be diagnosed with different cancers. Therefore, they need different radiotherapy treatment plans and thus have different needs for medical resources. This research aims to explore the best method of scheduling the admission of patients receiving radiotherapy so as to reduce patient loss and maximize the usage efficiency of service resources.A mix integer programming (MIP) model integrated with special features of radiotherapy is constructed. The data used here is based on the historical data collected and we propose an exact method to solve the MIP model.Compared with the traditional First Come First Served (FCFS) method, the new method has boosted patient admission as well as the usage of linear accelerators (LINAC) and beds.The integer programming model can be used to describe the complex problem of scheduling radio-receiving patients, to identify the bottleneck resources that hinder patient admission, and to obtain the optimal LINAC-bed radio under the current data conditions. Different management strategies can be implemented by adjusting the settings of the MIP model. The computational results can serve as a reference for the policy-makers in decision making.
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spelling doaj.art-c11f7c9cbe36498dae8df72fe6b18ac02022-12-21T21:52:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01127e018056410.1371/journal.pone.0180564Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.Ming LvYi LiBo KouZhili ZhouPatients received by radiotherapy departments are diverse and may be diagnosed with different cancers. Therefore, they need different radiotherapy treatment plans and thus have different needs for medical resources. This research aims to explore the best method of scheduling the admission of patients receiving radiotherapy so as to reduce patient loss and maximize the usage efficiency of service resources.A mix integer programming (MIP) model integrated with special features of radiotherapy is constructed. The data used here is based on the historical data collected and we propose an exact method to solve the MIP model.Compared with the traditional First Come First Served (FCFS) method, the new method has boosted patient admission as well as the usage of linear accelerators (LINAC) and beds.The integer programming model can be used to describe the complex problem of scheduling radio-receiving patients, to identify the bottleneck resources that hinder patient admission, and to obtain the optimal LINAC-bed radio under the current data conditions. Different management strategies can be implemented by adjusting the settings of the MIP model. The computational results can serve as a reference for the policy-makers in decision making.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5503264?pdf=render
spellingShingle Ming Lv
Yi Li
Bo Kou
Zhili Zhou
Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
PLoS ONE
title Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
title_full Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
title_fullStr Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
title_full_unstemmed Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
title_short Integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency.
title_sort integer programming for improving radiotherapy treatment efficiency
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5503264?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT minglv integerprogrammingforimprovingradiotherapytreatmentefficiency
AT yili integerprogrammingforimprovingradiotherapytreatmentefficiency
AT bokou integerprogrammingforimprovingradiotherapytreatmentefficiency
AT zhilizhou integerprogrammingforimprovingradiotherapytreatmentefficiency