Background: Prehospital stroke care processes involve a high degree of interconnectedness and dependence between the decisions made within different levels of the patient care pathway. These processes are even more challenging in regional and remote Australia due to large geographical distances and the diversity of care providers. Interactive visualisation as a part of dynamic simulation modelling supports the communication of these processes to enhance their understanding by clinical decision makers and to investigate potential unintended consequences.
Aim: To demonstrate the application of interactive dynamic visual simulation modelling for the investigation, understanding, and communication of prehospital stroke care processes in regional and remote Australia.
Methods: A hybrid agent-based discrete-event visual simulation model was developed in AnyLogic and validated within several workshops with domain experts and clinical decision makers. Structures, processes and interactions between system components and simulated patients were explicitly modelled to facilitate dynamic visualization.
Results: The model enables users to: (i) trace the dynamic progression of patients through the prehospital stroke care pathway in regional and remote Australia, (ii) investigate the decisions made about the patient’s care, (iii) visualize how the patient’s likely long-term outcomes change over time, and (iv) experiment within the system through an interactive dashboard. The focus group of domain experts and clinical decision makers provided useful feedback for further model improvement.
Conclusion: This model enhanced the communication and understanding of the prehospital stroke patient care pathway in regional and remote Australia.