TY - GEN
T1 - An Optimization Model for the Tradeoff Between Efficiency and Equity for Mobile Stroke Unit Placement
AU - Mahdiraji, Saeid Amouzad
AU - Holmgren, Johan
AU - Mihailescu, Radu-Casian
AU - Petersson, Jesper
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
PY - 2021/6/6
Y1 - 2021/6/6
N2 - A mobile stroke unit (MSU) is an ambulance, where stroke patients can be diagnosed and treated. Recently, placement of MSUs has been studied focusing on either maximum population coverage or equal service for all patients, termed efficiency and equity, respectively. In this study, we propose an unconstrained optimization model for the placement of MSUs, designed to introduce a tradeoff between efficiency and equity. The tradeoff is based on the concepts of weighted average time to treatment and the time difference between the expected time to treatment for different geographical areas. We conduct a case-study for Sweden’s Southern Health care Region (SHR), generating three scenarios (MSU1, MSU2, and MSU3) including 1, 2, and 3 MSUs, respectively. We show that our proposed optimization model can tune the tradeoff between the efficiency and equity perspectives for the MSU(s) allocation. This enables a high level of equal service for most inhabitants, as well as reducing the time to treatment for most inhabitants of a geographic region. In particular, placing three MSUs in the SHR with the proposed tradeoff, the share of inhabitants who are expected to receive treatment within an hour potentially improved by about a factor of 14 in our model.
AB - A mobile stroke unit (MSU) is an ambulance, where stroke patients can be diagnosed and treated. Recently, placement of MSUs has been studied focusing on either maximum population coverage or equal service for all patients, termed efficiency and equity, respectively. In this study, we propose an unconstrained optimization model for the placement of MSUs, designed to introduce a tradeoff between efficiency and equity. The tradeoff is based on the concepts of weighted average time to treatment and the time difference between the expected time to treatment for different geographical areas. We conduct a case-study for Sweden’s Southern Health care Region (SHR), generating three scenarios (MSU1, MSU2, and MSU3) including 1, 2, and 3 MSUs, respectively. We show that our proposed optimization model can tune the tradeoff between the efficiency and equity perspectives for the MSU(s) allocation. This enables a high level of equal service for most inhabitants, as well as reducing the time to treatment for most inhabitants of a geographic region. In particular, placing three MSUs in the SHR with the proposed tradeoff, the share of inhabitants who are expected to receive treatment within an hour potentially improved by about a factor of 14 in our model.
KW - Driving time estimation
KW - Efficient coverage
KW - Equal treatment
KW - Mobile stroke unit
KW - Time to treatment
KW - Tradeoff function
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111101237&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-981-16-3013-2_15
DO - 10.1007/978-981-16-3013-2_15
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85111101237
SN - 9789811630125
SN - 9789811630156
T3 - Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies
SP - 183
EP - 193
BT - Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare - Proceedings of 9th KES-InMed 2021
A2 - Chen, Yen-Wei
A2 - Chen, Yen-Wei
A2 - Tanaka, Satoshi
A2 - Howlett, Robert J.
A2 - Howlett, Robert J.
A2 - Howlett, Robert J.
A2 - Jain, Lakhmi C.
A2 - Jain, Lakhmi C.
PB - Springer
T2 - 9th KES International Conference on Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare, KES-InMed 2021
Y2 - 14 June 2021 through 16 June 2021
ER -