Operating room scheduling by computer.

The surgical operating room schedule has been produced automatically for more than 2 years in our large teaching hospital. In order to apply computer technology to the complex surgical scheduling problem a special programming approach was devised. We discuss this approach under the headings of Expand, Sort, Order and Assign. Consistent, reliable schedules, unaffected by weekends and holidays, are produced by a clerk trained to use a computer terminal. Our program is adapttable to other institutions once the scheduling parameters and operating priorities are delineated.