ii Preface

After seven years I am now about to complete my studies in Industrial Engineering. During these years, I have learnt many skills regarding engineering but, above all, different ways of thinking and facing problems. As a matter of fact, the best knowledge I have learnt is that everything is achievable working hard. Besides, I have challenged myself many times along my studies in order to know my capabilities and always trying to grow up and become a better person, in all aspects of life. From now on, a new age starts and I am looking forward to face new challenges, live new experiences and never stop learning. I also would like to use this preface to state a word of thanks. In the first place I would like to thank my parents and sisters- I am really lucky with the incredible family I have. They have supported me always in everything I have done, taught me very good values and helped me to grow up really happy. I would like to thank all my friends from my childhood, from my university in Barcelona and the ones I met here in Eindhoven. Specially, thanks to Silvia, Cristina, Christian, Maitane, Jose and Carlos because of forming part into my life and for sharing so many nice moments together. Concerning my study, I would like to thank Pr. Nico Dellaert for the supervision of this master’s project, to Marc Bauwens and Frank Huijbregts for their suggestions and advices and for giving me the opportunity to live a traineeship experience within Jan de Rijk. And last, but not least a word of thanks is also made to Marion de Bruijn and Marc Sijsterman for showing kindly to me the working processes within the hospital and facilitating the available data for this investigation