Spatial distribution of specialized health services

In this paper, we present a methodology for determining the spatial location of intermediate specialized health care centers in a given region. We propose a hierarchical structure with local hospital units, intermediate centers, and a referral center. The location of intermediate specialized health care centers is obtained as a solution to a p-median problem, aiming to minimize the average travel distance for users. A practical application of this proposed methodology is developed in the state of Santa Catarina, with the aim of planning a probable geographical distribution of Intermediate Cardiology Care Centers (CACIs), thus providing better quality care to the population that needs specialized cardiology services. The development of this practical application shows the feasibility of the proposed methodology, and the results obtained demonstrate its validity.

Autorentext

PhD in Production Engineering from UFSC with a sandwich doctorate from the University of Münster, Germany. Graduated in Mathematics from the Federal University of Rio Grande Foundation. Teaches courses in the areas of Exact Sciences, Social Sciences, and Applied Sciences. Researcher in Humanitarian Logistics, Disaster Management, and Process Modeling.