Radiotherapy department supported by an optimization algorithm for scheduling patient appointments.

Abstract

Prompt administration of radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most effective treatments against cancer. Each day, the radiotherapy departments of large hospitals must plan numerous irradiation sessions, considering the availability of human and material resources, such as healthcare professionals and linear accelerators. With the increasing number of patients suffering from different types of cancers, manually establishing schedules following each patient's treatment protocols has become an extremely difficult and time-consuming task. We propose an optimization algorithm that automatically schedules and generates patient appointments. The model can rearrange fixed appointments to accommodate urgent cases, enabling hospitals to schedule appointments more efficiently. It respects the different treatment protocols and should increase staff and patient satisfaction. The optimization algorithm can be connected to a mobile application allowing patients to accept or refuse appointment changes for rescheduling radiotherapy treatments.