[A nonlinear model for localization of hospital services as an indicator of accessibility].

The study proposes a differentiated approach to the localization of public services (unlike methods focusing solely on locational efficiency in the distribution of such services), with a nonlinear model that incorporates an accessibility indicator and allows rejecting solutions in which accessibility fails to comply with acceptably established minimum parameters. The method aims to minimize the total time spent by a region's population to reach a public services network, while controlling the range between the highest and lowest accessibility to the services. The resulting solution is not as efficient as other models (e.

[Assessment of geographic accessibility in hierarchical health systems using the p-median model: an application in Santa Catarina State, Brazil].

The objective of this study is to compare the distribution of hospital units according to different degrees of specialization in Santa Catarina State, Brazil, based on an application of the p-median hierarchical model in three levels. The p-median model is used to determine the units' location, following by a comparison of the population's mean distance to reach the medical units in two scenarios, the current one and the simulation. A quantitative indicator of accessibility is proposed and used to assess accessibility according to the current and simulated distributions.

Spatial distribution of specialized cardiac care units in the state of Santa Catarina.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the methodology used for assessing the spatial distribution of specialized cardiac care units. METHODS A modeling and simulation method was adopted for the practical application of cardiac care service in the state of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil, using the p-median model. As the state is divided into 21 health care regions, a methodology which suggests an arrangement of eight intermediate cardiac care units was analyzed, comparing the results obtained using data from 1996 and 2012.