Optimal allocation of urban nuclei to hospital birth centres in a geographical region

Paola Facchin (), Anna Ferrante (), Elena Rizzato (), Giorgio Romanin-Jacur () and Laura Salmaso ()
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Paola Facchin: University of Padova
Anna Ferrante: University of Padova
Elena Rizzato: University of Padova
Giorgio Romanin-Jacur: University of Padova
Laura Salmaso: University of Padova

Chapter Chapter 7 in Advanced Decision Making Methods Applied to Health Care, 2012, pp 103-120 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract We consider a geographical region with a three-tiered neonatal care network, which includes birth centres for supplying basic assistance for delivery, neonatal care and neonatal intensive care, with a design such that all higher-level centres also provide the lower levels of assistance. The region’s population is distributed in urban nuclei, the needs of which — in terms of assistance related to birth and newborn — are established on the basis of statistical analyses. Every mother-to-be is admitted to a birth centre serving the level corresponding to the needs of her pregnancy. Newborn transfers from a lower- to a higher-level centre are feasible in the event of unforeseen health issues. In this chapter we allocate urban nuclei to birth centres for what concerns all-level admissions, also allocating lower-level centres to suitable upper-level centres for any transfers, with a view to minimising the inconvenience due to the distances involved without overloading any centres; we use the results obtained for suitably resizing the network to further improve its efficiency. The allocation model is a linear program solved using GAMS algebraic language and Cplex solver. An actual application was considered.

Keywords: perinatal assistance network; decision support; linear programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1007/978-88-470-2321-5_7

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