4 Presentations

• 
  03:40 PM - 04:05 PM

  Heterogeneous aerial fleet planning using simulation models to improve interhospital transport

  • Joëlle Cormier, presenter, HEC Montréal
  • Valérie Bélanger, CIRRELT, HEC Montréal
  • Marie-Eve Rancourt, HEC Montréal

  Interhospital emergency transfer is a critical operation to provide specialized care to many patients in remote areas. Real data input and simulation modeling were used to determine the size and composition of a heterogeneous fleet of fixed-wing aircraft in Québec, Canada. The results offer concrete recommendations and sheds light on the key trade-offs in the strategic and operational functioning of an aerial interhospital evacuation service.
• 
  04:05 PM - 04:30 PM

  (CANCELED) The Operational Impact of Introducing Cold Stored Platelets in Canada

  • John Blake, presenter, Dalhousie University

  BACKGROUND: While cold-stored platelets are superior for reducing bleeding in actively bleeding patients, room-temperature platelets (RTP) are considered better for increasing platelet count in patients requiring a prophylactic transfusion. An active literature into cold stored platelets has recently emerged. However, many of the clinical and operational aspects of re-introducing cold stored platelets in an operational setting remain to be resolved, including whether the overhead required to maintain a dual platelet inventory.

  STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A simulation model of a regional blood supply chain was built, with specific focus on the blood supply operations of a case hospital. Two scenarios were considered: “No-CSP” conditions, in which the hospital issues only RTP, and “CSP” conditions, in which the hospital issues both RTP and CSP Within the CSP scenarios, conditions were tested under which the hospital receives only RTP and converts some to cold stored platelets and a second strategy where the hospital receives CSP from the regional supplier, in addition to converting RTP, as required.

  RESULTS: A centralized supply of CSP is necessary to meet patient needs and that on-site conversion is limited by platelet age restrictions. Product shortages decrease with increased CSP inventory as does CSP wastage. It was also determined that, because relatively few RTP units can be converted on-site, that RTP wastage is not decreased with the introduction of CSP.

  CONCLUSION: Given the clinical benefits for treatment of trauma, CSP is a desirable addition to a blood formulary. However, it is unlikely that significant RTP wastage savings will occur because of the introduction of cold stored platelets.
• 
  04:30 PM - 04:55 PM

  Verification and validation: an example for a simulation model of an oncology clinic

  • Alexandru Popp, presenter, University of Saskatchewan
  • Chris Zhang, University of Saskatchewan

  A model of an ambulatory oncological clinic is created and it is verified and validated.
  Verification and validation (V&V) are important steps that ensure correctness and represents reality. Model verification can be understood as “Building the model correctly”, while model validation as “Building the correct model”. V&V are important modeling characteristics because they increase the confidence of the model, and through multiple V&V steps enhance (better) the model itself as well as the results obtained, and provides credibility to the stakeholders.
  Specific steps are required to analyze the situation in a formal manner such as: structure, data, visualization, analyzing, simulation. Even though validation has subjective and objective approaches, there are specific techniques that are suggested and used: animation, event validity, face validity, historical data validation, internal validation, operational graphics, Turing test.
  This also builds on Sargent (2010) that indicates where V&V takes place. Having a model that is accurately verified and that is valid, gives more weight to the research undertaken. The reasons why data is need is also explored and described. This research focuses on different components of V&V that are necessary, and some of the gaps that most of the research and studies have.
• 
  04:55 PM - 05:20 PM

  A simulation optimization model for scheduling volunteer transportation of breast cancer patients

  • Marzieh Ghiyasinasab, presenter, Polytechnique Montreal
  • Nadia Lahrichi, Polytechnique Montréal

  Transportation to treatment centers is a major concern for cancer patients. Besides the costs and accessibility, patients need a certain degree of comfort in their transport process. The first objective of this research is to analyze various aspects of implementing a volunteer ride service for patients in an organization located in Montreal area. The second objective is to optimize the scheduling of volunteers to increase the number of rides. Therefore, a simulation model is created, and strategic and operational scenarios are tested which include one by one or multiple services, driver schedules, number of patients, and return requests. Then optimization of driver assignment is considered by assigning the nearest driver to the patients. Also, a genetic algorithm heuristic is implemented, and the results are compared. The results provide a decision-making tool for studying various scenarios as well as scheduling of the drivers to increase the number of served patients and decrease the cost.