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Journal section "Theoretical and methodological issues"

Agent-Based Modeling of Regional Healthcare: Addressing the Task of Formalizing Residents’ Medical Activity

Dianov S.V., Kalashnikov K.N., Rigin V.A.

Volume 15, Issue 1, 2022

Dianov S.V., Kalashnikov K.N., Rigin V.A. (2022). Agent-based modeling of regional healthcare: Addressing the task of formalizing residents’ medical activity. Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast, 15(1), 55–73. DOI: 10.15838/esc.2022.1.79.3

DOI: 10.15838/esc.2022.1.79.3

Abstract   |   Authors   |   References
The article addresses the task concerning the development of techniques for formalizing the behavior of agents-users of medical services in agent-based models designed to support decision-making on the spatial layout of health infrastructure facilities in the region. We analyze approaches to determining the behavior patterns of consumers of medical services and, on this basis, develop the structure of agents’ behavior model. We consider the implementation of the proposed model with the help of fuzzy neural networks. While forming the network, we use the results of a sociological survey conducted by Vologda Research Center in the territory of the Vologda Oblast in 2020. Practical implementation of the network is carried out in the Microsoft Access environment. Using this tool, we conduct a number of experiments to determine residents’ medical activity based on the initial data of the sociological survey. We use general scientific methods of formalization, abstraction, generalization, methods of system analysis, mathematical statistics, and fuzzy logic. The results of our work consist in designing the structure of behavior model for agents-consumers of medical services and methods for its implementation. Scientific novelty of our findings consists in the proposed structure of behavior model of agents-consumers of medical services and its practical implementation with the use of fuzzy neural networks in relation to the manifestation of medical activity. Practical significance of the results lies in the fact that the instrumental approaches proposed and partially tested in it will allow us to develop agent-based models of regional healthcare adequate to objective environmental conditions, taking into account citizens’ attitudes and behavior motives in interaction with medical services. In the future, this will help us to put forward and adjust measures to improve the efficiency of spatial layout and functioning of networks. Further work will be related to the improvement of the proposed methods in the following areas: determining ways to train the developed fuzzy neural network and finding ways to implement the remaining elements of the developed model for agent behavior

Keywords

medical activity, agent-based modeling, medical services, healthcare infrastructure facilities, fuzzy neural networks

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