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Stochastic resource allocation in emergency departments with a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm

Author

Listed:
  • Yen-Yi Feng

    (Mackay Memorial Hospital)

  • I-Chin Wu

    (Fu Jen Catholic University)

  • Tzu-Li Chen

    (Fu Jen Catholic University)

Abstract

The number of emergency cases or emergency room visits rapidly increases annually, thus leading to an imbalance in supply and demand and to the long-term overcrowding of hospital emergency departments (EDs). However, current solutions to increase medical resources and improve the handling of patient needs are either impractical or infeasible in the Taiwanese environment. Therefore, EDs must optimize resource allocation given limited medical resources to minimize the average length of stay of patients and medical resource waste costs. This study constructs a multi-objective mathematical model for medical resource allocation in EDs in accordance with emergency flow or procedure. The proposed mathematical model is complex and difficult to solve because its performance value is stochastic; furthermore, the model considers both objectives simultaneously. Thus, this study develops a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm by integrating a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) with multi-objective computing budget allocation (MOCBA) to address the challenges of multi-objective medical resource allocation. NSGA II is used to investigate plausible solutions for medical resource allocation, and MOCBA identifies effective sets of feasible Pareto (non-dominated) medical resource allocation solutions in addition to effectively allocating simulation or computation budgets. The discrete event simulation model of ED flow is inspired by a Taiwan hospital case and is constructed to estimate the expected performance values of each medical allocation solution as obtained through NSGA II. Finally, computational experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness and performance of the integrated NSGA II and MOCBA method, as well as to derive non-dominated medical resource allocation solutions from the algorithms.

Suggested Citation

  • Yen-Yi Feng & I-Chin Wu & Tzu-Li Chen, 2017. "Stochastic resource allocation in emergency departments with a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 55-75, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:hcarem:v:20:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s10729-015-9335-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10729-015-9335-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Duma, Davide & Aringhieri, Roberto, 2023. "Real-time resource allocation in the emergency department: A case study," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Chang Wook Kang & Muhammad Imran & Muhammad Omair & Waqas Ahmed & Misbah Ullah & Biswajit Sarkar, 2019. "Stochastic-Petri Net Modeling and Optimization for Outdoor Patients in Building Sustainable Healthcare System Considering Staff Absenteeism," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Hainan Guo & Haobin Gu & Yu Zhou & Jiaxuan Peng, 2022. "A data-driven multi-fidelity simulation optimization for medical staff configuration at an emergency department in Hong Kong," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 238-262, June.
    4. Farouq Halawa & Sreenath Chalil Madathil & Alice Gittler & Mohammad T. Khasawneh, 2020. "Advancing evidence-based healthcare facility design: a systematic literature review," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 453-480, September.
    5. Zhou, Liping & Geng, Na & Jiang, Zhibin & Wang, Xiuxian, 2018. "Multi-objective capacity allocation of hospital wards combining revenue and equity," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 220-233.
    6. Miguel Angel Ortíz-Barrios & Dayana Milena Coba-Blanco & Juan-José Alfaro-Saíz & Daniela Stand-González, 2021. "Process Improvement Approaches for Increasing the Response of Emergency Departments against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-31, August.
    7. Xianhua Wu & Yaru Cao & Yang Xiao & Ji Guo, 2020. "Finding of urban rainstorm and waterlogging disasters based on microblogging data and the location-routing problem model of urban emergency logistics," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 290(1), pages 865-896, July.
    8. Jesús Isaac Vázquez-Serrano & Rodrigo E. Peimbert-García & Leopoldo Eduardo Cárdenas-Barrón, 2021. "Discrete-Event Simulation Modeling in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-20, November.
    9. Sanjay Mehrotra & Hamed Rahimian & Masoud Barah & Fengqiao Luo & Karolina Schantz, 2020. "A model of supply‐chain decisions for resource sharing with an application to ventilator allocation to combat COVID‐19," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 67(5), pages 303-320, August.
    10. Ruoyan Sun & David Mendez, 2019. "Finding the optimal mix of smoking initiation and cessation interventions to reduce smoking prevalence," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-12, March.
    11. Davide Duma & Roberto Aringhieri, 2020. "An ad hoc process mining approach to discover patient paths of an Emergency Department," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 6-34, March.
    12. Miguel Angel Ortíz-Barrios & Juan-José Alfaro-Saíz, 2020. "Methodological Approaches to Support Process Improvement in Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-41, April.
    13. Shangkun Deng & Yingke Zhu & Xiaoru Huang & Shuangyang Duan & Zhe Fu, 2022. "High-Frequency Direction Forecasting of the Futures Market Using a Machine-Learning-Based Method," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-21, June.
    14. R. J. Kuo & P. F. Song & Thi Phuong Quyen Nguyen & T. J. Yang, 2023. "An application of multi-objective simulation optimization to medical resource allocation for the emergency department in Taiwan," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 326(1), pages 199-221, July.

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