Abstract for: A generic framework for hybrid simulation in healthcare

Healthcare problems are complex; they exhibit both detail and dynamic complexity. It has been argued that discrete event simulation (DES), with its ability to capture detail is ideal for problems exhibiting detail complexity. However from the strategic perspective, System Dynamics (SD) with its focus on a holistic perspective and its ability to comprehend dynamic complexity has advantages over DES. Both paradigms provide valuable insights but none of them is capable to capture both detail and dynamic complexity to the same extent. It has been argued in literature that an integrated hybrid approach will provide more realistic picture of complex system with fewer assumptions and less complexity. Hybrid simulation is a form of mixing methodologies and due to fundamental differences, mixing methodologies is quite challenging. In order to overcome these challenges this paper has attempted to provide a conceptual framework for hybrid simulation. On the basis of knowledge induced from literature, three requirements for framework have been established. In order to address these requirements, a three phase conceptual framework for hybrid simulation has been proposed. In future work the proposed framework will be evaluated with examples from healthcare.