EURO 2025 Leeds
Abstract Submission

895. Generalised or Specialised Hospitals: an optimisation model considering the nosocomial effect.

Invited abstract in session TB-11: Hospitals, stream OR in Healthcare (ORAHS).

Tuesday, 10:30-12:00
Room: Clarendon SR 1.03

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. MOHAMMAD AMINJARAHI
Bayes Business School, City, University of London
2. Navid Izady
Bayes Business School
3. Dimitris Paraskevopoulos
Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City, University of London

Abstract

In multi-hospital networks (MHNs), a critical challenge is the allocation of clinical services across hospitals with limited capacity. This decision typically lies between two extremes: a fully generalized configuration, where all services are offered at every hospital, and a fully specialized configuration, where each hospital provides only one service. However, research and practical evidence suggest that neither extreme is optimal. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to determine the optimal service configuration in an MHN with two capacitated hospitals and two services. Our model accounts for the nosocomial effect—the potential transmission of diseases—which significantly impacts patient service and waiting times. To address uncertainty, we incorporate queueing theory and economies of scale, both crucial in service configuration decisions. We propose a simulation-based optimization model alongside a numerical optimization approach, evaluating an extensive range of scenarios.

Keywords

Status: accepted


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