{"id":5841,"date":"2023-03-28T09:58:47","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T07:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jphres.org\/?p=5841"},"modified":"2023-04-02T14:08:21","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T12:08:21","slug":"adaptive-staff-scheduling-at-outpatient-department-of-ntaja-health-center-in-malawi-a-queuing-theory-application","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/","title":{"rendered":"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi &#8211; A queuing theory application"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"item doi\"><span class=\"value\"><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4081\/jphr.2021.2347\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4081\/jphr.2021.2347<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<ul class=\"item authors\">\n<li><span class=\"name\"><strong>Kambombo Mtonga<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"affiliation\">ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.<\/span><span class=\"orcid\"><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-375X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-375X<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"name\"><strong>Antoine Gatera<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"affiliation\">ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.<\/span><span class=\"orcid\"><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7573-707X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7573-707X<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"name\"><strong>Kayalvizhi Jayavel<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"affiliation\">Department of Information Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"name\"><strong>Mwawi Nyirenda<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"affiliation\">Mathematical Sciences Department, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"name\"><strong>Santhi Kumaran<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"affiliation\">School of ICT, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"item abstract\">\n<h3 class=\"label\">ABSTRACT<\/h3>\n<p>Accurate staff scheduling is crucial in overcoming the problem of mismatch between staffing ratios and demand for health services which can impede smooth patient flow. Patient flow is an important process towards provision of improved quality of service and also improved utilization of hospital resources. However, extensive waiting times remains a key source of dissatisfaction with the quality of health care service among patients. With rarely scheduled hospital visits, the in-balance between hospital staffing and health service demand remains a constant challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate workload predictions help anticipate financial needs and also aids in strategic planning for the health facility. Using a local health facility for a case study, we investigate problems faced by hospital management in staff scheduling. We apply queuing theory techniques to assess and evaluate the relationship between staffing ratios and waiting times at the facility. Specifically, using patient flow data for a rural clinic in Malawi, we model queue parameters and also approximate recommended staffing ratios to achieve steady state leading to reduced waiting times and consequently, improved service delivery at the clinic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"value\">\n<h3 class=\"label\">REFERENCES<\/h3>\n<div class=\"value\">1. Alexopoulos C, Goldsman D, Fontanesi J, Kopald D, Wilson J. Modeling patient arrivals in community clinics. Omega (Westport). 2008;36(1):33-43. doi:10.1016\/j.omega.2005.07.013<br \/>\n2. Dennis A, David WR, Joy A, Edward K. Reducing Patient Waiting Times in Rwandan Hospital Outpatient Services,\u201d Management Sciences for Health (MSH), Kigali, 2019.<br \/>\n3. Chu H, Westbrook R, Njue-Marendes S, Giordano T, Dang B. The psychology of the wait time experience \u2013 what clinics can do to manage the waiting experience for patients: a longitudinal, qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2019;19(1). doi:10.1186\/s12913-019-4301-0<br \/>\n4. Altema J, Bien-Aime K, Roger M, Blaise W. Causes of long wait time in health consultation services and strategies to reduce them: an observational study in rural Haiti. The Lancet Global Health. 2020;8:S33. doi:10.1016\/s2214-109x(20)30174-1<br \/>\n5. Creemers S, Lambrecht M. Modeling a healthcare system as a queueing network: The case of a belgian hospital. SSRN Electronic Journal. 2007. doi:10.2139\/ssrn.1093618<br \/>\n6. Alenany E, El-Baz M. Modelling a hospital as a queueing network analysis for improving performance. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economics, Business and Industrial Engineering. 2017;11:1181-1187.<br \/>\n7. Ameh N, Oyefabi M, Sabo B. Application of queuing theory to patient satisfaction at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Nigerian Medical Journal. 2013;54(1):64. doi:10.4103\/0300-1652.108902<br \/>\n8. Mayhew L, Smith D. Using queuing theory to analyse the government\u2019s 4-h completion time target in accident and emergency departments. Health Care Manag Sci. 2007;11(1):11-21. doi:10.1007\/s10729-007-9033-8<br \/>\n9. V\u00e9ricourt F, Jennings O. Nurse staffing in medical units: A queuing Perspective. Operations Research. 2011;59(6):1320-1331. doi:10.1287\/opre.1110.0968<br \/>\n10. Lantz B, Ros\u00e9n P. Using queuing models to estimate system capacity. Production Planning &amp; Control. 2017;28(13):1037-1046. doi:10.1080\/09537287.2017.1329563<br \/>\n11. Wanyenze R, Wagner G, Alamo S et al. Evaluation of the efficiency of patient flow at three HIV clinics in Uganda. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2010;24(7):441-446. doi:10.1089\/apc.2009.0328<br \/>\n12. Colebunders R, Bukenya T, Pakker N et al. Assessment of the patient flow at the infectious diseases institute out-patient clinic, Kampala, Uganda. AIDS Care. 2007;19(2):149-151. doi:10.1080\/09540120600762078<br \/>\n13. Chong M, Wang M, Lai X, Zee B, Hong F, Yeoh E, Wong E, Yam C, Chau P, Tsoi K, Graham C. Patient flow evaluation with system dynamic model in an emergency department: Data analytics on daily hospital records. Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Congress on Big Data. June-July 2015; 320-323. New York, USA.<br \/>\n14. Berry J. Hospital utilization and characteristics of patients experiencing recurrent readmissions within children&#8217;s hospitals. JAMA. 2011;305(7):682. doi:10.1001\/jama.2011.122<br \/>\n15. Jafry M, Jenny A, Lubinga S et al. Examination of patient flow in a rural health center in Malawi. BMC Res Notes. 2016;9(1). doi:10.1186\/s13104-016-2144-x<br \/>\n16. Wanyenze R. K, Wagner G et al. Evaluation of the Efficiency of Patient Flow at Three HIV Clinics in Uganda. AIDS Patient Care STDS, 24(7), pp. 441-446, 2010<br \/>\n17. Chong M, Wang M, Lai X, Zee B, Hong F, Yeoh E, Wong E, Yam C, Chau P, Tsoi K, Graham C. Patient flow evaluation with system dynamic model in an emergency department: Data analytics on daily hospital records. Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Congress on Big Data. June-July 2015; 320-323. New York, USA.<br \/>\n18. Tsoi K, Graham C. Patient Flow Evaluation with System Dynamic Model in an Emergency Department: Data Analytics on Daily Hospital Records, in Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Congress on Big Data, 2015.<br \/>\n19. Berry JG, Hall DE, Kuo DZ, Cohen E, Agrawal R, Feudtner C, Hall M, Kueser J, Kaplan W, Neff J. Hospital Utilization and Characteristics of Patients Experiencing Recurrent Readmissions Within Children\u2019s Hospitals. JAMA, 305(7), pp. 682-690, 2011.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4081\/jphr.2021.2347 Kambombo Mtonga ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-375X Antoine Gatera ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7573-707X Kayalvizhi Jayavel Department of Information Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. Mwawi Nyirenda Mathematical Sciences Department, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi. Santhi Kumaran School &#8230; <a title=\"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi &#8211; A queuing theory application\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\" aria-label=\"More on Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi &#8211; A queuing theory application\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5841","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4081\/jphr.2021.2347 Kambombo Mtonga ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-375X Antoine Gatera ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7573-707X Kayalvizhi Jayavel Department of Information Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. Mwawi Nyirenda Mathematical Sciences Department, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi. Santhi Kumaran School ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Journal of Public Health Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-02T12:08:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\",\"name\":\"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-28T07:58:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-02T12:08:21+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi &#8211; A queuing theory application\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/\",\"name\":\"Journal of Public Health Research\",\"description\":\"The Journal of Public Health Research is an online Open Access, peer-reviewed journal in the field of public health science. The scope of the journal is to stimulate debate and spreading of knowledge in this area in order to improve public health.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Journal of Public Health Research\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Favicon-JPHRES.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Favicon-JPHRES.png\",\"width\":150,\"height\":114,\"caption\":\"Journal of Public Health Research\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.citefactor.org\/journal\/index\/5410\/journal-of-public-health-research#.ZD-hS-xBx3k\",\"https:\/\/www.scimagojr.com\/journalsearch.php?q=21100790524&amp;amp;tip=sid&amp;amp;clean=0\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research","og_description":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4081\/jphr.2021.2347 Kambombo Mtonga ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-375X Antoine Gatera ACEIoT, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.\u00a0https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7573-707X Kayalvizhi Jayavel Department of Information Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. Mwawi Nyirenda Mathematical Sciences Department, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi. Santhi Kumaran School ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/","og_site_name":"Journal of Public Health Research","article_modified_time":"2023-04-02T12:08:21+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/","name":"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi - A queuing theory application - Journal of Public Health Research","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-03-28T07:58:47+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-02T12:08:21+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/jphres\/article\/view\/2347\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Adaptive staff scheduling at Outpatient Department of Ntaja Health Center in Malawi &#8211; A queuing theory application"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/","name":"Journal of Public Health Research","description":"The Journal of Public Health Research is an online Open Access, peer-reviewed journal in the field of public health science. The scope of the journal is to stimulate debate and spreading of knowledge in this area in order to improve public health.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#organization","name":"Journal of Public Health Research","url":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Favicon-JPHRES.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Favicon-JPHRES.png","width":150,"height":114,"caption":"Journal of Public Health Research"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.citefactor.org\/journal\/index\/5410\/journal-of-public-health-research#.ZD-hS-xBx3k","https:\/\/www.scimagojr.com\/journalsearch.php?q=21100790524&amp;amp;tip=sid&amp;amp;clean=0"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5841\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jphres.us.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}