Discrete-Event Simulation and System Dynamics for Management Decision Making

14Hybrid Modelling Case Studies

Rosemarie Sadsad,^1,2,3 Geoff McDonnell,^3,4 Joe Viana,⁵ Shivam M. Desai,⁵ Paul Harper⁶ and Sally Brailsford⁵

¹Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology – Public Health, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

²Sydney Medical School, Westmead, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

³Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

⁴Adaptive Care Systems, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

⁵Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, UK

⁶School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, UK

14.1 Introduction

The objective of this chapter is to demonstrate the use of hybrid modelling for management decision support. The chapter presents three separate case studies that are unified both by the common theme of using different modelling techniques in a hybrid manner and by the health and social care context.

The first case study combines the use of system dynamics and agent-based modelling to better understand and control the spread of a specific drug-resistant pathogen in hospitals; the second case study demonstrates how a hybrid system dynamics and discrete-event simulation model can support clinical and management decision making in the context of sexual health services; and the third case study is dedicated to the investigation of a hybrid model that consists of a system-dynamics-inspired cell-based population model and ...