Scheduling pick-up and delivery jobs in a hospital to level ergonomic stress

During a typical stay in a hospital patients visit multiple wards to receive therapy and other treatment, so that a large number of intra-hospital transportation jobs are to be accomplished each day. Transporting patients in wheelchairs or beds causes ergonomic stress for the workforce, which depends, for instance, on the conveyance vehicle, the tour length, and the patient’s weight; excessive ergonomic strain, in turn, increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. This article presents the case of a large-size state-owned German hospital, where ergonomic aspects are to be integrated into the scheduling of patient transports. We formalize the resulting scheduling problem, settle computational complexity, provide exact and heuristic solution procedures, and investigate managerial aspects in a comprehensive computational study.