Linear programming applied to healthcare problems

Abstract

Objective and Method: To present a mathematical modelingtechnique by means of linear programming as an efficient tool tosolve problems related to optimization in healthcare. Twoapplications are approached: formulation of a balanced diet at aminimum cost and optimal allocation of resources for a set ofmedical interventions that comply with cost and medical visitrestrictions. Results: The balanced diet proposed would comprise1.4 glasses of skimmed milk/day and 100 g of salad/day (2/10 of a500 g portion) at a total minimum cost of R$ 2.55/day. The optimalsolution for the allocation model among the five types of medicalintervention programs maximizing quality-adjusted life year wasestablished as follows: use of 100% of intervention type 4 and 50%of intervention type 2, determining a maximum value of 20.5 QALY.Conclusion: In a world with increasingly scarce resources andevery day more competitive, linear programming could be used tosearch optimized solutions for healthcare problems.

Keywords

• Resource allocation
• Linear programming
• Operations research
• Optimization