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Incorporating human behaviour in simulation models of screening for breast cancer

Incorporating human behaviour in simulation models of screening for breast cancer
Incorporating human behaviour in simulation models of screening for breast cancer
Simulation modelling is widely used in many industries in order to assess and evaluate alternative options and to test strategies or operating rules which are too complex to be modelled analytically. Simulation software has developed its capability in parallel with the growth in computing power since the 1980’s. However in practice, the results from the most sophisticated and complex simulation model may not truly reflect what happens in the real world, because such models do not account for human behaviour. For example, in the domain of healthcare simulation is often used to evaluate the outcomes from medical interventions such as new drug treatments. However in reality patients may not complete the course of a prescribed medication, perhaps because they find the side-effects unpleasant. A simulation study designed to evaluate this medication which ignores such behavioural factors may give unreliable results. In this paper we describe a model for screening for breast cancer which includes behavioural factors to model women’s decisions to attend for mammography. The model results indicate that increasing attendance through education or publicity campaigns can be equally as effective as decreasing the intervals between screens. This would have considerable cost implications for healthcare providers
discrete-event simulation, health care modelling, human behaviour, breast cancer screening
0377-2217
491-507
Brailsford, S.C.
634585ff-c828-46ca-b33d-7ac017dda04f
Harper, Paul R.
57b143a6-7f33-4310-9996-90301ffbcb41
Sykes, Jennifer
9995d9fa-05f7-4038-98b0-30fcd0f1acfe
Brailsford, S.C.
634585ff-c828-46ca-b33d-7ac017dda04f
Harper, Paul R.
57b143a6-7f33-4310-9996-90301ffbcb41
Sykes, Jennifer
9995d9fa-05f7-4038-98b0-30fcd0f1acfe

Brailsford, S.C., Harper, Paul R. and Sykes, Jennifer (2012) Incorporating human behaviour in simulation models of screening for breast cancer. [in special issue: Operations Research in Health Care. EURO XXIII, 5-8 July 2009, Bonn. The Past and Present of Optimization. EURO XXIV, 11-14 July 2010, Lisbon] European Journal of Operational Research, 219 (3), 491-507. (doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2011.10.041).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Simulation modelling is widely used in many industries in order to assess and evaluate alternative options and to test strategies or operating rules which are too complex to be modelled analytically. Simulation software has developed its capability in parallel with the growth in computing power since the 1980’s. However in practice, the results from the most sophisticated and complex simulation model may not truly reflect what happens in the real world, because such models do not account for human behaviour. For example, in the domain of healthcare simulation is often used to evaluate the outcomes from medical interventions such as new drug treatments. However in reality patients may not complete the course of a prescribed medication, perhaps because they find the side-effects unpleasant. A simulation study designed to evaluate this medication which ignores such behavioural factors may give unreliable results. In this paper we describe a model for screening for breast cancer which includes behavioural factors to model women’s decisions to attend for mammography. The model results indicate that increasing attendance through education or publicity campaigns can be equally as effective as decreasing the intervals between screens. This would have considerable cost implications for healthcare providers

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More information

Published date: June 2012
Keywords: discrete-event simulation, health care modelling, human behaviour, breast cancer screening
Organisations: Management, Southampton Business School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 191535
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/191535
ISSN: 0377-2217
PURE UUID: 13d93c47-6582-45ff-9387-fd0f211141f2
ORCID for S.C. Brailsford: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6665-8230

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 22 Jun 2011 07:55
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:42

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Contributors

Author: S.C. Brailsford ORCID iD
Author: Paul R. Harper
Author: Jennifer Sykes

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