Nested logic-based Benders decomposition for an integrated home healthcare problem
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In this study, we apply nested logic-based Benders decomposition to solve an integrated home healthcare staffing, assignment, routing, and scheduling problem with application in Norway. The proposed method operates at two decomposition levels. Consequently, the entire problem is decomposed into three hierarchical sub-problems: the staffing problem, the assignment problem, and the routing and scheduling problem. These sub-problems are interrelated through two levels of logic-based Benders cuts. Computational experiments on 40 test instances demonstrate the superior performance of nested logic-based Benders decomposition compared to directly solving a mixed-integer linear programming model available in the literature. Specifically, the proposed solution method achieved proven optimality in 28 instances and provided feasible solutions for the remaining 12 instances. In contrast, directly solving the mixed-integer linear programming model yielded proven optimality in 16 instances, provided feasible solutions for 20 instances, and failed to find feasible solutions for 4 instances within the same computational time limit.
Institutions: Molde University College, Universidade Federal da Bahia
Language: English
Subfield: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,290
OpenAlex ID: W4411488367