Title: Inter-domain translational research on planning and scheduling: operating rooms vs. job shops

Authors: Kenneth N. McKay

Addresses: Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Abstract: On the surface, it would appear relatively easy to translate most analytical and modelling results from the Industrial Engineering research on job shop scheduling to other contexts such as operating rooms in healthcare. In this paper, we will discuss translational research between the job shop and operating room scenarios and describe the role of field research in determining the gap between two domains. We conclude that further field-based research is required on operating rooms to better understand the sources of uncertainty, and the dynamic relationships that exist within the process.

Keywords: translational research; operating rooms; planning; scheduling; job shops; job shop scheduling; healthcare management; operating room scheduling; uncertainty; surgery planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPS.2011.044546

International Journal of Planning and Scheduling, 2011 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.42 - 57

Received: 24 Mar 2011
Accepted: 28 Jul 2011
Published online: 31 Dec 2011 *

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