A mathematical model for efficient ambulance location based on DSM-MALP integration Case Study: Isfahan City

Background: Optimal location of medical facilities and vehicles is one of the most crucial aspects of emergency services, and even slight improvements in this regard can save the lives of many people. In the large cities that suffer from fluctuating population distribution and traffic congestion, finding the optimal location of ambulance stations can significantly reduce patient mortality due to delay of medical service and thus increase the efficiency of healthcare sector.Methods: This study investigated the current status of ambulance service provided in 4 districts of Isfahan and assessed the potential for improvement in availability by increasing the number of ambulances and relocating the stations. Innovation of this paper is the integration of two ambulance location methods, Double Standard Model (DSM)and Maximum Availability Location Problem (MALP), to develop a static probabilistic model, which allows the covering radius of stations to be increased according to ambulance availability factor.Conclusion: Efficiency of the developed method was assessed by sensitivity analysis though 4 different approaches, all of which showed an increase in efficiency as compared to the default model.

کلیدواژه ها:

Double Standard Model ، Maximum Availability Location Problem ، ambulance location ، emergency medical services