Uncertainty-Driven Policies for Resource Allocation in Epidemics Response

Uncertainty-Driven Policies for Resource Allocation in Epidemics Response

den Brok, Emma (TU Delft Technology, Policy and Management)

Comes, Tina (mentor)
Kwakkel, Jan (graduation committee)
van de Walle, Bartel (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Engineering and Policy Analysis

2019-08-10

Humanitarians and global health actors come to the aid of many people every year, with the aim of preventing disease, increasing wellbeing, and providing (medical) aid to those suffering from disease. One of the contexts in which they operate is that of an epidemic. An epidemic is dynamic by nature and provides a complex and evolving environment in which medical aid needs to be provided. A key aspect in a response to an epidemic is logistics – specifically the allocation of resources such as personnel and medical supplies. These resources are often limited, calling for a targeted and strategic response. There is a variety of studies tackling the problem of resource allocation in the context of an epidemic, which include sequential decisions as the epidemic evolves, as well as the choice between several locations to which resources can be sent. However, these studies often assume decision-makers have complete information on the situation at hand and can make “perfect” choices. In reality, due to the large number of actors involved in a response, poor (telecommunication) infrastructure, and the fact that an epidemic is a moving target due to its dynamic nature, decision-makers often have to deal with incomplete and uncertain information on the number of patients and the way the epidemic is evolving.

deep uncertainty
humanitarian logistics
Epidemic
direct policy search

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a5594fcc-fc09-4b50-8bb3-c3572f0f26fb

Student theses

master thesis

© 2019 Emma den Brok