Mobile clinics: medical service strategy for disaster healthcare response operation

Purpose:Healthcare facilities disrupted due to disasters leave affected communities without access tosufficient health care. This study proposes the use of mobile health clinics (MHCs) to address the issuesfaced by medical service providers during disaster response.Design/methodology/approach:An MHC is a mobile facility that provides healthcare services from astationary location. The model was developed as a healthcare response strategy that considers demanduncertainties due to the nature of the disaster. Therefore, the objective of this study is to generate anMHC route and schedule simultaneously and determine how each MHC meets patient demands within aprespecified time horizon. A stochastic model is presented because the impact of a disaster variesaccording to its scale.Findings:An investigation of medical shelters in locations with high numbers of displaced people andthe routing of mobile clinics for several facility locations with a small number of people showed that ahybrid strategy comprising a medical shelter and MHC is the best option. MHCs can serve many locationswithin walking distance. They can also be routed to other locations when time constraints allow. When alarge number of people are in a shelter, building a medical facility provides better service.Originality/value:This study proposed MHCs as a medical service strategy to address the challengesfaced by communities during disaster responses. The aim of MHCs is to improve communities’ access tohealthcare servicesPeer Reviewe

Robust Platelet Logistics Planning in Disaster Relief Operations Under Uncertainty: a Coordinated Approach

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. Resource sharing, as a coordination mechanism, can mitigate disruptions in supply and changes in demand. It is particularly crucial for platelets because they have a short lifespan and need to be transferred and allocated within a limited time to prevent waste or shortages. Thus, a coordinated model comprised of a mixed vertical-horizontal structure, for the logistics of platelets, is proposed for disaster relief operations in the response phase. The aim of this research is to reduce the wastage and shortage of platelets due to their critical role in wound healing. We present a bi-objective location-allocation robust possibilistic programming model for designing a two-layer coordinated organization strategy for multi-type blood-derived platelets under demand uncertainty. Computational results, derived using a heuristic ε-constraint algorithm, are reported and discussed to show the applicability of the proposed model. The experimental results indicate that surpluses and shortages in platelets remarkably declined following instigation of a coordinated disaster relief operation

OR models in urban service facility location : a critical review of applications and future developments

[EN] Facility location models are well established in various application areas with more than a century of history in academia. Since the 1970s the trend has been shifting from manufacturing to service industries. Due to their nature, service industries are frequently located in or near urban areas that results in additional assumptions, objectives and constraints other than those in more traditional manufacturing location models. This survey focuses on the location of service facilities in urban areas. We studied 110 research papers across different journals and disciplines. We have analyzed these papers on two levels. On the first, we take an Operations Research perspective to investigate the papers in terms of types of decisions, location space, main assumptions, input parameters, objective functions and constraints. On the second level, we compare and contrast the papers in each of these applications categories: (a) Waste management systems (WMS), (b) Large-scale disaster (LSD), (c) Small-scale emergency (SSE), (d) General service and infrastructure (GSI), (e) Non-emergency healthcare systems (NEH) and (f) Transportation systems and their infrastructure (TSI). Each of these categories is critically analyzed in terms of application, assumptions, decision variables, input parameters, constraints, objective functions and solution techniques. Gaps, research opportunities and trends are identified within each category. Finally, some general lessons learned based on the practicality of the models is synthesized to suggest avenues of future research.Ruben Ruiz is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, under the project "SCHEYARD - Optimization of Scheduling Problems in Container Yards (No. DPI2015-65895-R) financed by FEDER funds.Farahani, RZ.; Fallah, S.; Ruiz García, R.; Hosseini, S.; Asgari, N. (2019). OR Models in Urban Service Facility Location: A Critical Review of Applications and Future Developments. European Journal of Operational Research. 276(1):1-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.07.036S127276

Making decisions for effective humanitarian actions: a conceptual framework for relief distribution

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Humanitarian logistics optimization models: An investigation of decision-maker involvement and directions to promote implementation

Reports of successful implementation of humanitarian optimization models in the field are scarce. Incorporating real conditions and the perspective of decision-makers in the analysis is crucial to enhance the practical value and managerial implications. Although it is known that implementation can be hindered by the lack of practitioner input in the structure of the model, its priorities, and the practicality of solution times, the way these aspects have been introduced in humanitarian optimization models has not been investigated. This study looks at the way research has involved practitioners in different aspects of the design of optimization models to promote implementation. It investigates the aspects affecting the implementation of the models and opportunities to guide future optimization contributions. The article introduces a systematic literature review of 105 articles to answer the research questions. The results are contrasted with a multi-criteria decision analysis using responses from Mexican practitioners. The study found that only 10% of the articles involved practitioners for modelling decisions, which was confirmed by a major gap between the objectives used in the literature and the priorities of Mexican practitioners. In terms of swift decision-making, fewer than 22% of the articles surveyed introduced new solution methods to deliver results in a sensible time. The study also identified very limited inclusion of environmental concerns in the objective functions even though these are a priority in the global agenda. These findings are discussed to propose research directions and suggest best practices for future contributions to promote the implementation of humanitarian logistics models

Revisiting Gini for equitable humanitarian logistics

Modeling equity in the allocation of scarce resources is a fast-growing concern in the humanitarian logistics field. The Gini coefficient is one of the most widely recognized measures of inequity and it was originally characterized by means of the Lorenz curve, which is a mathematical function that links the cumulative share of income to rank-ordered groups in a population. So far, humanitarian logistics models that have approached equity using the Gini coefficient do not actually optimize its original formulation, but use alternative definitions that do not necessarily replicate that original Gini measure. In this paper, we derive the original Gini coefficient via the Lorenz curve to optimize the effectiveness-equity trade-off in a humanitarian location-allocation problem. We also propose new valid inequalities based on an upper-bounding Lorenz curve to tighten the linear relaxation of our model and develop a clustering-based construction of the Lorenz curve that requires fewer additional constraints and variables than the original one. The computational study, based on the floods and landslides in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, reveals that while alternative Gini definitions have interesting properties, they can generate vastly different decisions compared to the original Gini coefficient. In addition, viewed from the perspective of the original Gini coefficient, these decisions can be significantly less equitable

Logística humanitária : uma revisão bibliográfica

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Guilherme F. FredericoMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curso de MBA em Gerência de Sistemas LogísticosInclui referênciasResumo : A logística humanitária é um tema que vem ganhando destaque entre as publicações acadêmicas visto o crescente número de desastres ocorrendo ao redor do mundo. Ela difere em diversos aspectos da logística comercial, principalmente porque lida não apenas com transações de produtos e serviços, mas também com o impacto no ser humano. Da mesma forma, diversos outros fatores devem ser considerados, como a instabilidade e riscos variáveis. Este trabalho irá expor uma seleção de trabalhos acadêmicos voltados ao assunto que apresentam um problema específico na rede logística em relação a ocorrência de desastres. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar, através de critérios selecionados, as tendências acadêmicas, bem como verificar necessidades e apontar direcionamentos para novos estudos

Applications of biased-randomized algorithms and simheuristics in integrated logistics

Transportation and logistics (T&L) activities play a vital role in the development of many businesses from different industries. With the increasing number of people living in urban areas, the expansion of on-demand economy and e-commerce activities, the number of services from transportation and delivery has considerably increased. Consequently, several urban problems have been potentialized, such as traffic congestion and pollution. Several related problems can be formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem (COP). Since most of them are NP-Hard, the finding of optimal solutions through exact solution methods is often impractical in a reasonable amount of time. In realistic settings, the increasing need for 'instant' decision-making further refutes their use in real life. Under these circumstances, this thesis aims at: (i) identifying realistic COPs from different industries; (ii) developing different classes of approximate solution approaches to solve the identified T&L problems; (iii) conducting a series of computational experiments to validate and measure the performance of the developed approaches. The novel concept of 'agile optimization' is introduced, which refers to the combination of biased-randomized heuristics with parallel computing to deal with real-time decision-making.Las actividades de transporte y logística (T&L) juegan un papel vital en el desarrollo de muchas empresas de diferentes industrias. Con el creciente número de personas que viven en áreas urbanas, la expansión de la economía a lacarta y las actividades de comercio electrónico, el número de servicios de transporte y entrega ha aumentado considerablemente. En consecuencia, se han potencializado varios problemas urbanos, como la congestión del tráfico y la contaminación. Varios problemas relacionados pueden formularse como un problema de optimización combinatoria (COP). Dado que la mayoría de ellos son NP-Hard, la búsqueda de soluciones óptimas a través de métodos de solución exactos a menudo no es práctico en un período de tiempo razonable. En entornos realistas, la creciente necesidad de una toma de decisiones "instantánea" refuta aún más su uso en la vida real. En estas circunstancias, esta tesis tiene como objetivo: (i) identificar COP realistas de diferentes industrias; (ii) desarrollar diferentes clases de enfoques de solución aproximada para resolver los problemas de T&L identificados; (iii) realizar una serie de experimentos computacionales para validar y medir el desempeño de los enfoques desarrollados. Se introduce el nuevo concepto de optimización ágil, que se refiere a la combinación de heurísticas aleatorias sesgadas con computación paralela para hacer frente a la toma de decisiones en tiempo real.Les activitats de transport i logística (T&L) tenen un paper vital en el desenvolupament de moltes empreses de diferents indústries. Amb l'augment del nombre de persones que viuen a les zones urbanes, l'expansió de l'economia a la carta i les activitats de comerç electrònic, el nombre de serveis del transport i el lliurament ha augmentat considerablement. En conseqüència, s'han potencialitzat diversos problemes urbans, com ara la congestió del trànsit i la contaminació. Es poden formular diversos problemes relacionats com a problema d'optimització combinatòria (COP). Com que la majoria són NP-Hard, la recerca de solucions òptimes mitjançant mètodes de solució exactes sovint no és pràctica en un temps raonable. En entorns realistes, la creixent necessitat de prendre decisions "instantànies" refuta encara més el seu ús a la vida real. En aquestes circumstàncies, aquesta tesi té com a objectiu: (i) identificar COP realistes de diferents indústries; (ii) desenvolupar diferents classes d'aproximacions aproximades a la solució per resoldre els problemes identificats de T&L; (iii) la realització d'una sèrie d'experiments computacionals per validar i mesurar el rendiment dels enfocaments desenvolupats. S'introdueix el nou concepte d'optimització àgil, que fa referència a la combinació d'heurístiques esbiaixades i aleatòries amb informàtica paral·lela per fer front a la presa de decisions en temps real.Tecnologies de la informació i de xarxe