Implementation of the nurse scheduling task is a difficult problem domain for head
nurses because it is a multi-period, multi-criteria decision-making problem with the
condition that it needs to meet the requirements of the patients, the hospital
administration, and the staff nurses.
There have been many research studies done for nurse scheduling using the following
methods : cyclic method, mathmetical modeling method, heurestic method and expert
system approach. Without a theoretical review of the head nurses' problem-solving
process, the limitations of inflexible computational modeling in comparison to the
complex, real problem-solving process cannot be overcomes. This research applies the
cognitive scientific approach which uses protocol analysis and computer simulation. It
will be used as basic data for a decision support system which will be constructed as a
result of protocol analysis (collect data, analyze the head nurses' problem-solving
process) and cognitive process simulation.
Following research will develop the following research lists : first; construction of
databases including each nurse's major attributes as a data field, second ; development
of schedule optimizing modules, and third; development of user interface for
communication between head nurses and staff nurses using the system.