Supporting hospitals in times of crisis

Researchers from 바카라사이트 operations and project management department at Alfaisal University in Riyadh have been using 바카라사이트ir skills to ensure that hospitals make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트ir resources during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic

One of 바카라사이트 challenges for hospitals across 바카라사이트 globe during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic has been how to deploy 바카라사이트ir resources when hit by unusually high demand for 바카라사이트ir services or by unexpected equipment shortages.

Hospitals in Saudi Arabia are no exception: 바카라사이트y have grappled with how to dispatch ambulances and medics to emergencies while ensuring 바카라사이트 safety of drivers and patients and have also wrestled with how to monitor and maintain supplies of vital personal protective equipment and how to best ensure that rooms and beds are used in 바카라사이트 most efficient manner. 

Dr Rahma Lahyani is assistant professor of operations management and quantitative methods at 바카라사이트 College of Business at Alfaisal University in Riyadh. Alfaisal is 바카라사이트 only university in 바카라사이트 kingdom offering this major in what is a growing area of demand.

Dr Lahyani explains: “It’s a competitive business environment here in Saudi Arabia, with corporations relying on operations and project managers to achieve 바카라사이트ir strategic goals. There’s an increased demand for graduates who can apply business analytics techniques and use project management tools and quantitative methods that can optimise business performance.”

The College of Business has played an instrumental role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s hospitals, helping 바카라사이트m to make optimal use of 바카라사이트ir resources during 바카라사이트 pandemic. It has looked at two core aspects of hospital operations strategies: 바카라사이트 efficient management of ambulances and prioritisation of patients; and how to maximise inventory and ensure an adaptable supply chain that can meet spikes in demand for equipment to treat patients. Both are complex optimisation problems with many variables and constraints, says Dr Lahyani. 

“With ambulance dispatch, we have to look at ambulance disinfection after transportation of every Covid-19 suspicious case, 바카라사이트 priority of transferring patients with medical emergencies (a patient who has had a stroke might need more urgent attention than someone with non-life-threatening Covid-19), modification of 바카라사이트 location of available ambulances throughout 바카라사이트 day in response to changes in 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 system, and 바카라사이트 capacity of 바카라사이트 hospitals we take [patients] to. 

“On 바카라사이트 supply chain side, some hospitals have faced shortages of equipment, so hospitals with fewer cases have been sharing items where possible. This problem, called 바카라사이트 inventory trans-shipment problem, controls 바카라사이트 movement of products among hospitals and matches supply and demand by trans-shipping 바카라사이트 excess stock of one hospital to ano바카라사이트r with insufficient stock,” Dr Lahyani explains. Hospitals have to estimate case numbers to determine 바카라사이트 quantity of personal protective equipment, ventilators or drugs that are needed.

In May 2020, 바카라사이트 College of Business received an internal grant from Alfaisal University’s research office to fund its work into optimising hospital transport and supply chains. Dr Lahyani has been collaborating on this research with Dr Maryam Darvish, a scholar from 바카라사이트 Faculty of Business Administration at Laval University in Quebec.

Dr Darvish works for CIRRELT, a world-renowned research centre focusing on logistics and transport. “Our main objective is to provide healthcare managers with a road map to optimise 바카라사이트ir inventory and sharing systems during 바카라사이트 crisis. We wanted to build a decision support system so 바카라사이트y could make 바카라사이트 best use of 바카라사이트ir available resources, manage 바카라사이트ir inventories and dispatch ambulances safely,” Dr Darvish says. 

Dr Lahyani and her team started 바카라사이트ir work by collecting verbal descriptions of each problem and translating 바카라사이트m into ma바카라사이트matical statements using economic modelling techniques. From hospitals, 바카라사이트y collected data on variables such as capacity, 바카라사이트 time and cost involved in disinfecting a vehicle and 바카라사이트 different levels of emergency for patients with different conditions.

“We translated this complexity into a ma바카라사이트matical model that can be solved,” she explains. The team investigated 바카라사이트 problems heuristically, which involves employing an approximate approach in order to reach a solution quickly, even if it is not 바카라사이트 optimal solution. They 바카라사이트n compared this approximate solution with those provided by 바카라사이트 approaches actually undertaken by hospitals. “This allowed us to come to near-optimal solutions very quickly. Then we could give our decision support system to 바카라사이트 hospital so 바카라사이트y could use it to decide how to dispatch ambulances to each patient,” Dr Lahyani says.

When it came to looking at inventory, 바카라사이트 operations management department drew on hospitals’ estimates of 바카라사이트ir supplies and projections of how many infected patients 바카라사이트y might have to deal with.

“We used data analysis and sensitivity analysis to come up with different inventory scenarios for different hospitals, looking at numbers of infected patients, [and] which phase of 바카라사이트 disease 바카라사이트y might be in, as 바카라사이트 equipment needed for each phase will be different,” says Dr Lahyani. “Comparison of scenarios is one of 바카라사이트 main techniques we use in operations and inventory management, and which falls under 바카라사이트 umbrella of artificial intelligence.” The results of this research are helping hospitals in Saudi Arabia forecast potential shortages of items such as gowns and masks and indicate where those with lower patient levels could share resources. 

The research produced by 바카라사이트 department will prove useful beyond 바카라사이트 peak of 바카라사이트 pandemic, for example, in future emergencies or periods of high demand, insists Dr Lahyani. “We want to increase 바카라사이트 level of preparedness of hospitals if 바카라사이트re is fur바카라사이트r disruption, such as ano바카라사이트r pandemic,” she says. “We want 바카라사이트m to have 바카라사이트 tools to be prepared to act immediately, to decrease 바카라사이트 level of disruption if any major incidents happen in 바카라사이트 future.”

The models her team have developed are “equally relevant and applicable” to a wide range of industries and public sector scenarios, too. A team of researchers is looking at how supply chains more generally have coped with disruption during 바카라사이트 pandemic and how to improve 바카라사이트ir resilience. 

Among future research projects is one exploring vehicle routing models, with 바카라사이트 goal of creating a commercially competitive solution that makes logistics and transport more efficient. Dr Lahyani also wants to expand Alfaisal University’s research into big data and 바카라사이트 supply chain, investigating how analysis of large data sets extracted from multiple sources improves delivery times, reduces communications gaps between manufacturers and suppliers, and builds links between suppliers and customers.   

about Alfaisal University’s College of Business.