Agent-based Modeling and Simulation to Adoption Process of Information Technologies in Health Systems

Abstract

The adoption and implementation process of information and communication technologies in health systems are highly complex and even today there is no guarantee of success; There are multiple determinants, along with their interrelationships and environment that influence this process. The objective of this paper is the presentation of modeling and simulation based on agents to adoption process of information technology in health systems. The study is based on a conceptual model based on the theory of complex adaptive systems, and empirical studies of the critical factors in the adoption process, then used the tool of agent-based modeling for the computer simulation in Netlogo 5.1.0. As a result, we have characterized and programmed three types of agents: technological, organizational, and human, as well as their interactions and environment. The simulation model allowed us to observe the predictive system response as a measure of success or failure in adoption, to possible variations in the initial conditions of the agents and the environment. The presented model is an excellent tool for the analysis of the interrelationships between the multiple stakeholders involved in the success or failure of the adoption of health information technology