Modeling the process of responding to health emergencies: Main aspects and problems related to evaluating ambulance relocation strategies

Ambulance relocation is a field of study focused on the repositioning of available ambulances in response to changing conditions to maintain or improve service levels. The scientific community has proposed numerous relocation strategies, often evaluated in environments that simulate the healthcare emergency response process. In order to properly model this process, it is essential to identify the relevant information. Despite efforts to improve realism, many approximations still hinder the accuracy of the results. This article analyzes the information about different ways of determining several aspects of the emergency response process. Furthermore, the importance of incorporating realistic aspects when modeling the emergency response process is shown and the instances generated for the case of Valencia (Spain) are offered based on these aspects.