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An Optimization Model for the Tradeoff Between Efficiency and Equity for Mobile Stroke Unit Placement

Mahdiraji, Saeid Amouzad ; Holmgren, Johan ; Mihailescu, Radu Casian and Petersson, Jesper LU (2021) 9th KES International Conference on Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare, KES-InMed 2021 In Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 242. p.183-193
Abstract

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,... (More)

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.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Driving time estimation, Efficient coverage, Equal treatment, Mobile stroke unit, Time to treatment, Tradeoff function
host publication
Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare - Proceedings of 9th KES-InMed 2021
series title
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies
editor
Chen, Yen-Wei ; Tanaka, Satoshi ; Howlett, Robert J. and Jain, Lakhmi C.
volume
242
pages
11 pages
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
conference name
9th KES International Conference on Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare, KES-InMed 2021
conference location
Virtual, Online
conference dates
2021-06-14 - 2021-06-16
external identifiers
  • scopus:85111101237
ISSN
2190-3018
2190-3026
ISBN
9789811630125
978-981-16-3013-2
DOI
10.1007/978-981-16-3013-2_15
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5b967565-e736-4cb2-8a82-f2c08d519e70
date added to LUP
2021-12-10 11:05:44
date last changed
2024-04-06 15:02:29
@inproceedings{5b967565-e736-4cb2-8a82-f2c08d519e70,
  abstract     = {{<p>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.</p>}},
  author       = {{Mahdiraji, Saeid Amouzad and Holmgren, Johan and Mihailescu, Radu Casian and Petersson, Jesper}},
  booktitle    = {{Innovation in Medicine and Healthcare - Proceedings of 9th KES-InMed 2021}},
  editor       = {{Chen, Yen-Wei and Tanaka, Satoshi and Howlett, Robert J. and Jain, Lakhmi C.}},
  isbn         = {{9789811630125}},
  issn         = {{2190-3018}},
  keywords     = {{Driving time estimation; Efficient coverage; Equal treatment; Mobile stroke unit; Time to treatment; Tradeoff function}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{183--193}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies}},
  title        = {{An Optimization Model for the Tradeoff Between Efficiency and Equity for Mobile Stroke Unit Placement}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3013-2_15}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-981-16-3013-2_15}},
  volume       = {{242}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}