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Vázquez-Serrano JI, Peimbert-García RE, Cárdenas-Barrón LE. Discrete-Event Simulation Modeling in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:12262. [PMID: 34832016 PMCID: PMC8625660 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Discrete-event simulation (DES) is a stochastic modeling approach widely used to address dynamic and complex systems, such as healthcare. In this review, academic databases were systematically searched to identify 231 papers focused on DES modeling in healthcare. These studies were sorted by year, approach, healthcare setting, outcome, provenance, and software use. Among the surveys, conceptual/theoretical studies, reviews, and case studies, it was found that almost two-thirds of the theoretical articles discuss models that include DES along with other analytical techniques, such as optimization and lean/six sigma, and one-third of the applications were carried out in more than one healthcare setting, with emergency departments being the most popular. Moreover, half of the applications seek to improve time- and efficiency-related metrics, and one-third of all papers use hybrid models. Finally, the most popular DES software is Arena and Simul8. Overall, there is an increasing trend towards using DES in healthcare to address issues at an operational level, yet less than 10% of DES applications present actual implementations following the modeling stage. Thus, future research should focus on the implementation of the models to assess their impact on healthcare processes, patients, and, possibly, their clinical value. Other areas are DES studies that emphasize their methodological formulation, as well as the development of frameworks for hybrid models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Isaac Vázquez-Serrano
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Northeast Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (J.I.V.-S.); (L.E.C.-B.)
| | - Rodrigo E. Peimbert-García
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Northeast Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (J.I.V.-S.); (L.E.C.-B.)
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Leopoldo Eduardo Cárdenas-Barrón
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Northeast Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (J.I.V.-S.); (L.E.C.-B.)
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Wilson AM, Weir MH, King MF, Jones RM. Comparing approaches for modelling indirect contact transmission of infectious diseases. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210281. [PMID: 34465207 PMCID: PMC8437226 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical models describing indirect contact transmission are an important component of infectious disease mitigation and risk assessment. A model that tracks microorganisms between compartments by coupled ordinary differential equations or a Markov chain is benchmarked against a mechanistic interpretation of the physical transfer of microorganisms from surfaces to fingers and subsequently to a susceptible person's facial mucosal membranes. The primary objective was to compare these models in their estimates of doses and changes in microorganism concentrations on hands and fomites over time. The abilities of the models to capture the impact of episodic events, such as hand hygiene, and of contact patterns were also explored. For both models, greater doses were estimated for the asymmetrical scenarios in which a more contaminated fomite was touched more often. Differing representations of hand hygiene in the Markov model did not notably impact estimated doses but affected pathogen concentration dynamics on hands. When using the Markov model, losses due to hand hygiene should be handled as separate events as opposed to time-averaging expected losses. The discrete event model demonstrated the effect of hand-to-mouth contact timing on the dose. Understanding how model design influences estimated doses is important for advancing models as reliable risk assessment tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Wilson
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Mark H. Weir
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OT, USA
| | - Marco-Felipe King
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Rachael M. Jones
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Wilson AM, Verhougstraete MP, Donskey CJ, Reynolds KA. An agent-based modeling approach to estimate pathogen exposure risks from wheelchairs. Am J Infect Control 2021; 49:206-214. [PMID: 32603850 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2020.06.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Contributions of contaminated wheelchairs to nosocomial pathogen transmission are relatively unknown. Our aim was to develop a model predicting pathogen exposures for patients utilizing wheelchairs and estimate exposure reduction potential of wheelchair disinfection between rides. METHODS An agent-based model was informed by wheelchair location data from a connected 215-bed acute care and 250-bed long-term care facility. Simulated scenarios varied in frequencies of patient wheelchair contamination and wheelchair disinfection in between trips. Clostridioides difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus concentrations on patient hands at the end of wheelchair trips were estimated. Exposure reductions due to disinfection, assuming low real-world efficacies (50%, 70%, and 90%), were compared. RESULTS In the simulation, when few patients introduced contamination to wheelchairs, disinfection in between patients 50% of the time decreased baseline (no disinfection) estimated exposures for the 50th wheelchair rider by >99.999%. When patients had a 50% chance of being contaminated before the wheelchair ride, disinfection did not reduce exposures consistently. DISCUSSION The efficacy of disinfection in between patient rides as an exposure mitigation strategy likely depends on the frequency of infected patient wheelchair use. CONCLUSIONS During outbreak, high contamination conditions, disinfection, alone, is not enough to protect patients from wheelchair-mediated exposures.
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Wang X, Şengür-Taşdemir R, Koyuncu İ, Tarabara VV. Lip balm drying promotes virus attachment: Characterization of lip balm coatings and XDLVO modeling. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 581:884-894. [PMID: 32877879 PMCID: PMC7398005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.07.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Drying-induced decrease in lip balm surface energy enhances virus adhesion due to the emergence of strong hydrophobic colloid-surface interactions. EXPERIMENTS A protocol was developed for preparing lip balm coatings to enable physicochemical characterization and adhesion studies. Surface charge and hydrophobicity of four brands of lip balm (dry and hydrated) and human adenovirus 5 (HAdV5) were measured and used to calculate the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) energy of interactions between lip balm coatings and HAdV5 as well as four other colloids: HAdV40, MS2 and P22 bacteriophages, and SiO2. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) tests employed SiO2 colloids, HAdV5 and hydrated lip balms. FINDINGS Drying of lip balms results in a dramatic decrease of their surface energy (δΔGsws≥ 83.0 mJ/m2) making the surfaces highly hydrophobic. For dry lip balms, the interaction of the balm surface with all five colloids is attractive. For lip balms hydrated in 150 mM NaCl (ionic strength of human saliva), XDLVO calculations predict that hydrophilic colloids (MS2, P22, SiO2) may attach into shallow secondary minima. Due to the relative hydrophobicity of human adenoviruses, primary maxima in XDLVO profiles are low or non-existent making irreversible deposition into primary energy minima possible. Preliminary QCM-D tests with SiO2 colloids and HAdV5 confirm deposition on hydrated lip balms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xunhao Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Reyhan Şengür-Taşdemir
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - İsmail Koyuncu
- National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Volodymyr V Tarabara
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Reynolds KA, Sexton JD, Norman A, McClelland DJ. Comparison of electric hand dryers and paper towels for hand hygiene: a critical review of the literature. J Appl Microbiol 2020; 130:25-39. [PMID: 32794646 PMCID: PMC7818469 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies are published on the benefits of electric hand dryers vs paper towels (PT) for drying hands after washing. Data are conflicting and lacking key variables needed to assess infection risks. We provide a rapid scoping review on hand-drying methods relative to hygiene and health risks. Controlled vocabulary terms and keywords were used to search PubMed (1946-2018) and Embase (1947-2018). Multiple researchers independently screened abstracts for relevance using predetermined criteria and created a quality assessment scoring system for relative study comparisons. Of 293 papers, 23 were included in the final analysis. Five studies did not compare multiple methods; however, 2 generally favoured electric dryers (ED); 7 preferred PT; and 9 had mixed or statistically insignificant results (among these, 3 contained scenarios favourable to ED, 4 had results supporting PT, and the remaining studies had broadly conflicting results). Results were mixed among and within studies and many lacked consistent design or statistical analysis. The breadth of data does not favour one method as being more hygienic. However, some authors extended generalizable recommendations without sufficient scientific evidence. The use of tools in quantitative microbial risk assessment is suggested to evaluate health exposure potentials and risks relative to hand-drying methods. We found no data to support any human health claims associated with hand-drying methods. Inconclusive and conflicting results represent data gaps preventing the advancement of hand-drying policy or practice recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Reynolds
- Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - J D Sexton
- Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - A Norman
- Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - D J McClelland
- Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Wilson AM, Reynolds KA, Canales RA. Estimating the effect of hand hygiene compliance and surface cleaning timing on infection risk reductions with a mathematical modeling approach. Am J Infect Control 2019; 47:1453-1459. [PMID: 31331717 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2019.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quantitative tools are needed to relate infection control interventions to infection risk reductions. METHODS A model for predicting virus concentrations on hands was used to predict rotavirus, rhinovirus, and influenza A virus doses. Variability in behaviors, transfer efficiencies for various contact types, and surface areas of contact were included. Dose-response curves were used to relate estimated doses to infection risks. Percent reductions from baseline in average rotavirus, rhinovirus, and influenza A virus dose and infection risk were calculated for interventions. RESULTS Baseline average infection risks for rotavirus, rhinovirus, and influenza A virus were 0.43, 0.20, and 5.51 × 10-6, respectively. One and 2 cleaning events decreased average viral infection risks by 6.98%-17.06% and 13.95%-34.66%, respectively. A 15% increase in hand compliance decreased average infection risks by 6.98%-20.51%. A 15% increase in hand hygiene compliance paired with 2 cleaning events decreased average infection risks by 20.93%-47.55%. DISCUSSION This study demonstrates the infection risk benefits of combined interventions. CONCLUSIONS Models such as the one in this study could be used to optimize timing and frequency of cleaning events and to create hand hygiene compliance goals to achieve infection risk targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Wilson
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
| | - Kelly A Reynolds
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Robert A Canales
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
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Canales RA, Wilson AM, Sinclair RG, Soto-Beltran M, Pearce-Walker J, Molina M, Penny M, Reynolds KA. Microbial study of household hygiene conditions and associated Listeria monocytogenes infection risks for Peruvian women. Trop Med Int Health 2019; 24:899-921. [PMID: 31066175 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To develop an exposure and risk assessment model to estimate listeriosis infection risks for Peruvian women. METHODS A simulation model was developed utilising Listeria monocytogenes concentrations on kitchen and latrine surfaces in Peruvian homes, hand trace data from Peruvian women and behavioural data from literature. Scenarios involving varying proportions of uncontaminated, or 'clean', surfaces and non-porous surfaces were simulated. Infection risks were estimated for 4, 6 and 8 h of behaviours and interactions with surfaces. RESULTS Although infection risks were estimated across scenarios for various time points (e.g. 4, 6, 8 h), overall mean estimated infection risks for all scenarios were ≥ 0.31. Infection risks increased as the proportions of clean surfaces decreased. Hand-to-general surface contacts accounted for the most cumulative change in L. monocytogenes concentration on hands. CONCLUSIONS In addition to gaining insights on how human behaviours affect exposure and infection risk, this model addressed uncertainties regarding the influence of household surface contamination levels. Understanding the influence of surface contamination in preventing pathogen transmission in households could help to develop intervention strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes infection and associated health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Canales
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Amanda M Wilson
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Ryan G Sinclair
- Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Marcela Soto-Beltran
- Facultad Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Culiacan, Mexico
| | | | | | - Mary Penny
- Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, Peru
| | - Kelly A Reynolds
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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