Improving ambulance coverage in a mixed urban-rural region in Norway using mathematical modeling.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ambulance services play a crucial role in providing pre-hospital emergency care. In order to ensure quick responses, the location of the bases, and the distribution of available ambulances among these bases, should be optimized. In mixed urban-rural areas, this optimization typically involves a trade-off between backup coverage in high-demand urban areas and single coverage in rural low-demand areas. The aim of this study was to find the optimal distribution of bases and ambulances in the Vestfold region of Norway in order to optimize ambulance coverage.

Method

The optimal location of bases and distribution of ambulances was estimated using the Maximum Expected Covering Location Model. A wide range of parameter settings were fitted, with the number of ambulances r

SUBMITTER: van den Berg PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6461285 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature