This paper aims to assess the environmental efficiency of refineries in the public sector with emphasis on generated effluents and water consumption in the production process. In order to conduct this research, the addressed method was quantitative with a qualitative approach to the environmental aspects of controllable and uncontrollable variables implemented in two classical models of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), considering only desirable outputs and two DEA models which include undesirable outputs. The sample consists of ten refineries considering the following as input variables: idleness percentage of the operating plant, the amount of water consumed; and the following as outputs: refinery production volume and generated effluents, desirable and undesirable, respectively, besides the uncontrollable variable, the refinery age. With the comparison result between the models, we observed the clear importance of the environmental variable for a more realistic analysis of the production process.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The growth of the urban population exerts considerable pressure on municipalities’ public managers to focus their attention on providing emergency medical care that meets the growing demand for emergency pre-hospital medical care. Currently, there are a significant number of traffic accidents and other serious occurrences, such as heart attacks, drownings, epidemics, fires and disasters (floods, landslides, earthquakes) that demand a prompt and seamless response from pre-hospital medical care. As a result of such scenario, the present article endeavours to apply a dual-coverage mathematical model (DSM-Double Standard Model) to define the optimal location of the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) decentralized dispatch bases in Natal/RN and conduct a simulation study to evaluate the displacement of ambulances between such bases. METHODS: The methodological course that was followed by this research constitutes of 12 steps. The location of decentralized bases for sending emergency ambulances was established using the DSM model and the simulation model was performed using the FlexSim© software version 2018 evaluating base coverage in relation to the total number of calls by demand points for different scenarios. RESULTS: The results obtained throughout the research demonstrated the feasibility of redefining the decentralized bases of SAMU/Natal ambulances as a strategy to reduce response time and guarantee compliance with performance parameters established by international organizations (the World Health Organization, for instance, establishes the time of 8 minutes for emergency medical service calls response). The simulation study showed a significant reduction in response time, by up to 60% in some cases. CONCLUSION: The proposition of new locations for the decentralized dispatch bases of the SAMU/Natal can provide an overall significant reduction on the ambulance response time, so as to contribute to expedite the initiation of treatment of patients, if necessary, sent to hospitals.
BackgroundThe growth of the urban population exerts considerable pressure on municipalities’ public managers to focus their attention on providing emergency medical care that meets the growing demand for emergency pre-hospital medical care. Currently, there are a significant number of traffic accidents and other serious occurrences, such as heart attacks, drownings, epidemics, fires and disasters (floods, landslides, earthquakes) that demand a prompt and seamless response from pre-hospital medical care. As a result of such scenario, the present article endeavours to apply a dual-coverage mathematical model (DSM-Double Standard Model) to define the optimal location of the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) decentralized dispatch bases in Natal / RN and conduct a simulation study to evaluate the displacement of ambulances between such bases. Patients and methodsThe methodological course that was followed by this research constitute for 12 steps, so as to the location of decentralized bases for sending emergency ambulances was established using the DSM model and the simulation model was performed using the FlexSim software© version 2018 evaluating base coverage in relation to the total number of calls by demand points for different scenarios.ResultsThe results obtained throughout the research demonstrated the feasibility of redefining the decentralized bases of SAMU / Natal ambulances as a strategy to reduce response time and guarantee compliance with performance parameters established by international organizations (the World Health Organization, for instance, establishes the time of 8 minutes for emergency medical service calls response). The simulation study showed a significant reduction in response time, by up to 60% in some cases.ConclusionThe proposition of new locations for the decentralized dispatch bases of the SAMU/Natal can provide an overall significant reduction on the ambulance response time, so as to contributes to expedite the initiation of treatment of patients, if necessary, sent to hospitals.
is responsible for providing pre-hospital acute care and has the key role of providing good services to people, especially in urban areas. In Brazil, the Emergency Medical Assistance Service (SAMU) operates in several cities and aims to reach the victim early after an injury to his health has occurred, by sending vehicles manned by trained personnel. The objective of this study was the application of a mathematical model aiming to designate neighborhoods for the installation of new SAMU bases that minimize the distance traveled by the ambulances in the city of Natal / RN. After data collection, it was found that the average service response time of the SAMU was over 40 minutes for calls classified as red code. The average number of calls in 2015 was 1,930 per month, in this city with a population of 800,000. The application of the model allowed for the simulation of scenarios with the installation of 3 to 8 fixed bases. There was a significant reduction in the distance traveled by the ambulances which reached 48%, after the installation of eight bases. In other words, there was a reduction of 6,560 kilometers traveled per month by ambulances. The new SAMU bases are being installed in containers to minimize installation costs and easy relocation in the near future.
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