Optimizing travel route for medical services during evacuation: A network and shared mobility perspective

Abstract

Medical transportation during evacuation encompasses the coordinated efforts to transport individuals with medical needs and deliver medical relief goods and personnel during emergencies. Shared mobility is a concept where available transportation resources are shared among users. This study proposes an optimization model with a shared mobility perspective for medical transportation during evacuations, addressing route efficiency, service timeframes, and resource constraints. The model focuses on delivering medical relief goods, dropping off medical personnel, and picking up medical evacuees during evacuations. It integrates a transportation network specifically designed for medical purposes, incorporating multiple demand nodes with specified time frames and penalty costs for early and late deliveries. The optimal travel route ensures that demand nodes are served within acceptable service time intervals. Travel routes are designed and updated according to demand requests from nodes to satisfy diverse demands such as delivering medical supplies, transporting personnel, and evacuating patients efficiently. This study presents a foundational approach to optimizing travel routes for medical personnel, supplies, and evacuees, which significantly enhances the efficiency of medical transportation during evacuations. The approach not only optimizes distance and cost but also ensures compliance with strict time constraints, addressing the challenge of consolidating various medical services into a single travel route. A numerical example demonstrates how this model effectively minimizes overall travel costs while incorporating a time-sensitive schedule for medical transportation.