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PRODID:-//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook MIMEDIR//EN
VERSION:1.0
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20111116T011500Z
DTEND:20111116T030000Z
LOCATION:WSCC North Galleria 2nd/3rd Floors
DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:ABSTRACT: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug-resistant bacterium that is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections, and represents a growing epidemiological concern within healthcare facilities. Since hospitals are interconnected via patient sharing, changes in patient characteristics or chronic disease epidemiology in one hospital may affect other hospitals within a region. We developed an agent-based model (ABM), of an adult acute care hospital network, that incorporates real life patient sharing data and hospital-specific characteristics.  The structure of each hospital includes ICU (intensive care unit) and general wards and associated compartment models for disease transmission.  The simulation code is written in Fortran 95 and parallelized using MPI to facilitate fast convergence of the Monte Carlo sampling scheme employed in the ABM. This model enables us to conduct detailed quantitative studies, such as potential impact of individual hospital and regional outbreak scenarios, with the goal of providing valuable input into public health decision making.
SUMMARY:Agent-Based Modeling of the Spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Outbreaks within a Hospital Network
PRIORITY:3
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