Integrated care development using systems modelling - A case study of intermediate care

In recent years more focus has been placed on integrated health and social care services within most western countries. Despite the reported importance of this area, it has not been explored enough in simulation research. Current modeling methods of healthcare systems focus on compartmentalized and specific specialties, such as emergency room modeling. Integrated care services, on the other hand, come with increased complexity, which makes it even more difficult for traditional modeling approaches to capture the desired level of detail. This article aims at identifying lessons for modeling complex integrated healthcare systems by presenting a case of intermediate care development using modeling. The main observations indicate that the involvement of stakeholders in a collaborative modeling should take precedence over model accuracy. Also iterative modeling is the most viable way to approach such systems; and that modelers should possess more skills than those needed for technical skills.