Resources Repository
-
ReviewPublication 2015Agent-Based Models and Microsimulation
This article reviews the principles and applications of agent-based models (ABMs). ABMs are computational models …
This article reviews the principles and applications of agent-based models (ABMs). ABMs are computational models used to simulate the actions and interactions of “agents” within a system. Usually, each agent has a set of rules for how he or she responds to the environment and to other agents. These models are used to gain insight into the emergent behavior of complex systems with many agents, in which the emergent behavior depends upon the micro-level behavior…
Dynamic Simulation | Microsimulation | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Energy/Engineering | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | Science/Technology -
ReportPublication 2015Modeling to Improve Policy Decisions in the Americas: Noncommunicable Diseases
In the Region of the Americas, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a clear threat not only …
In the Region of the Americas, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a clear threat not only to human health, but also to a country’s economic development and growth. The evidence on both of these counts is compelling. In 2012, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory conditions including asthma, and other NCDs were the cause of 4.5 million deaths in the Americas. Of that total number, 1.5 million of them were premature, occurring among people aged 30-69…
Microsimulation | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | State-Transition | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Decision Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health/Medicine | Latin America & Caribbean -
ReviewPublication 2017Use of Mathematical Models of Chlamydia Transmission to Address Public Health Policy Questions
This review provides an overview of chlamydia transmission models and offers perspective on how mathematical …
This review provides an overview of chlamydia transmission models and offers perspective on how mathematical modeling has responded over time to additional empirical evidence in order to address policy questions related to prevention of chlamydia infection. The authors reviewed published chlamydia models to understand the range of approaches used for policy analyses and how the studies have responded to developments in the field. The authors identified 47 publications reporting on 29 mathematical models through a…
Mathematical Models | Dynamic Transmission | State-Transition | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2014Markov Modeling & Discrete Event Simulation in Health Care: Systematic Comparison
This review assesses whether the use of Markov modeling (MM) or discrete event simulation (DES) …
This review assesses whether the use of Markov modeling (MM) or discrete event simulation (DES) for cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) may alter healthcare resource allocation decisions. A systematic literature search and review of empirical and non-empirical studies comparing MM and DES techniques used in the CEA of healthcare technologies was conducted. The primary advantages described for DES over MM were the ability to model queuing for limited resources, capture individual patient histories, accommodate complexity and uncertainty,…
Microsimulation | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2017Validation and Calibration of Structural Models that Combine Information from Multiple Sources
This is a review of calibration and validation methods in mathematical modeling. Such models that …
This is a review of calibration and validation methods in mathematical modeling. Such models that attempt to capture structural relationships between their components and combine information from multiple sources are increasingly used in medicine. The authors provide an overview of methods for model validation and calibration and survey studies comparing alternative approaches. Model validation entails a confrontation of models with data, background knowledge, and other models, and can inform judgments about model credibility. Calibration involves…
Mathematical Models | Calibration/Validation | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2016Dynamic Transmission Economic Evaluation of Infectious Disease in LMIC
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious …
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious disease interventions. The authors examine the use of these methods in low- and middle-income countries, where infectious diseases constitute a major burden. The review is comprised of two parts: (1) a summary of dynamic transmission economic evaluations across all disease areas published between 2011 and mid-2014 and (2) an in-depth review of mosquito-borne disease studies focusing on health economic methods…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Dynamic Transmission | Infectious Diseases | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ReportPublication 2015Chapter 4: Cervical Cancer
This chapter focuses on the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer as a result …
This chapter focuses on the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer as a result of the introduction of two commercially available vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV). Few low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have initiated or sustained cytology-based cervical cancer prevention programs, and these countries experience very high incidence and mortality rates. Fortunately, alternative strategies to prevent cervical cancer have been investigated and extensively evaluated in these settings. The authors report findings from cost-effectiveness analyses…
Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ReviewPublication 2012Modeling Preventative Strategies Against HPV-Related Disease in Developed Countries
This review article is part of a special supplement on “Comprehensive Control of HPV Infections …
This review article is part of a special supplement on “Comprehensive Control of HPV Infections and Related Diseases.” At the time of its writing, prophylactic vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) in pre-adolescent females had been introduced in most developed countries, supported by modeled evaluations that had almost universally found vaccination of pre-adolescent females to be cost-effective. Vaccination of pre-adolescent males had been shown to be cost-effective at a cost per vaccinated individual of ~US$400-500 if…
Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReviewPublication 2011Dynamic Microsimulation Models for Health Outcomes: A Review
This review article presents an overview of microsimulation modeling, focusing on the development and application …
This review article presents an overview of microsimulation modeling, focusing on the development and application of these models for health policy questions. Microsimulation models for health outcomes simulate individual event histories associated with key components of a disease process; these simulated life histories can be aggregated to estimate population-level effects of treatment on disease outcomes and the comparative effectiveness of treatments. The authors argue that methodological improvements in modeling approaches have been slowed by the…
Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine