System Dynamics Models for Public Health and Health Care Policy

• Other Authors: Homer, Jack (Editor), Hirsch, Gary B. (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: Research & information: general; Mathematics & science; simulation model; public health practice; chronic disease; prevention; cardiovascular diseases; cancer; COVID-19; tourism recovery; public policy; system dynamics; participatory modelling; health; social care; integrated care; hospital; delayed hospital discharges; strategy; congestion; capacity; archetypes; unintended consequences; population health and well-being; equity; stewardship; resilience; simulation modeling; uncertainty analysis; optimization; sensitivity testing; Monte Carlo randomization; opioid epidemic; prosthetics; major lower-limb amputations; prosthesis usage; amputee mobility; health care system; health policy; youth homelessness; child welfare; juvenile justice; mental health; public health; decision making; long-term conditions; resource allocation; complex systems; early detection of cancer; mass screening; decision-making; dissemination; clinical practice guidelines; evidence-based guidelines; policy decision thresholds; prostate cancer; natural history of disease; biomarker; PSA
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

System dynamics is a simulation modeling approach to strategic and policy analysis that has been applied to many health care and public health issues since the 1960s and has become increasingly prevalent since the 2000s. The ten articles in this reprint appeared in a Special Issue of Systems and cover a broad cross-section of relevant methodological topics as well as applications to specific health problems.One methodological article describes the use of cascaded system archetypes, with an application to reducing hospital congestion. Another discusses Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis, with an application to the US opioid crisis. Three of the articles describe models of community response to severe shocks, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Two other articles address strategies for dealing with myriad chronic diseases and risk factors in a population. Other papers include in-depth analyses of prostate cancer screening, digital prosthetic services for lower-limb amputees, and the complex behavioral health challenge of youth homelessness.This reprint provides an excellent snapshot of the current state of practice in system dynamics as it is applied to public health, health care delivery, and health policy. It offers practical policy guidance and will be of interest to both experienced practitioners and those new to the field.