Improving the efficiency of patient diagnostic specimen collection with the aid of a multi-modal routing algorithm
Improving the efficiency of patient diagnostic specimen collection with the aid of a multi-modal routing algorithm
The Sustainable Specimen Collection Problem (SSCP), in which diagnostic specimens are collected from GP surgeries (doctor’s office/clinics) and subsequently transported to a hospital laboratory for analysis using more sustainable transport modes, is introduced in this paper. Using a weighted
objective function, we solve a new multi-objective problem using cycle consolidation to limit driving time and the numbers of vans used whilst improving overall service quality, reducing costs and emissions. This particular heterogeneous vehicle routing problem is explored and applied to two
real-world case studies in the UK, where 97 and 22 sites (respectively) are currently served, using a column generation based heuristic algorithm with some additional improvement heuristics. The results demonstrated a potential improvement in the system’s maximum delivery time between 41% and 74% compared to business-as-usual activity using solely road vehicles. Road vehicle (van) fleets could be reduced by up to 40%, and the total driving time across the fleet by between 41% and 65%. Operational costs were estimated to increase by up to 38%, though additional workloads for gig-economy cycle couriers and improvement in specimen quality and service reliability may make this trade-off worthwhile. Tailpipe CO2 emissions were also reduced by up to 43%. The proposed algorithm was effective, reducing computational time by up to 99% whilst achieving an average of 5% deviation from optimality.
Diagnostic specimens, Mixed-mode, Multi-objective, Multimodal, Pathology, Routing, SSCP, Specimen collection problem
Oakey, Andy
dfd6e317-1e6d-429c-a3e0-bc80e92787d1
Martinez-Sykora, Toni
2f9989e1-7860-4163-996c-b1e6f21d5bed
Cherrett, Thomas
e5929951-e97c-4720-96a8-3e586f2d5f95
4 May 2023
Oakey, Andy
dfd6e317-1e6d-429c-a3e0-bc80e92787d1
Martinez-Sykora, Toni
2f9989e1-7860-4163-996c-b1e6f21d5bed
Cherrett, Thomas
e5929951-e97c-4720-96a8-3e586f2d5f95
Oakey, Andy, Martinez-Sykora, Toni and Cherrett, Thomas
(2023)
Improving the efficiency of patient diagnostic specimen collection with the aid of a multi-modal routing algorithm.
Computers and Operations Research, 157, [106265].
(doi:10.1016/j.cor.2023.106265).
Abstract
The Sustainable Specimen Collection Problem (SSCP), in which diagnostic specimens are collected from GP surgeries (doctor’s office/clinics) and subsequently transported to a hospital laboratory for analysis using more sustainable transport modes, is introduced in this paper. Using a weighted
objective function, we solve a new multi-objective problem using cycle consolidation to limit driving time and the numbers of vans used whilst improving overall service quality, reducing costs and emissions. This particular heterogeneous vehicle routing problem is explored and applied to two
real-world case studies in the UK, where 97 and 22 sites (respectively) are currently served, using a column generation based heuristic algorithm with some additional improvement heuristics. The results demonstrated a potential improvement in the system’s maximum delivery time between 41% and 74% compared to business-as-usual activity using solely road vehicles. Road vehicle (van) fleets could be reduced by up to 40%, and the total driving time across the fleet by between 41% and 65%. Operational costs were estimated to increase by up to 38%, though additional workloads for gig-economy cycle couriers and improvement in specimen quality and service reliability may make this trade-off worthwhile. Tailpipe CO2 emissions were also reduced by up to 43%. The proposed algorithm was effective, reducing computational time by up to 99% whilst achieving an average of 5% deviation from optimality.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 25 April 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 May 2023
Published date: 4 May 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the NHS staff at Southampton General Hospital and St. Mary's Isle of Wight Hospital for their support in this study. This research received funding from the EPSRC, United Kingdom and was completed as part of the e-Drone project, United Kingdom under grant no. EP/V002619/1 and the Department for Transport's Future Transport Zones, United Kingdom project overseen by Solent Transport.
Funding Information:
This research received funding from the EPSRC, United Kingdom and was completed as part of the e-Drone project, United Kingdom under grant no. EP/V002619/1 and the Department for Transport’s Future Transport Zones, United Kingdom project overseen by Solent Transport.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
Keywords:
Diagnostic specimens, Mixed-mode, Multi-objective, Multimodal, Pathology, Routing, SSCP, Specimen collection problem
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 476768
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/476768
ISSN: 0305-0548
PURE UUID: 0e75afb8-af00-4f1c-999d-34e4b79315ff
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Date deposited: 15 May 2023 16:39
Last modified: 12 Jul 2024 02:09
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Author:
Andy Oakey
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