A patient-level simulation is a type of model in which outcomes are estimated for modelled patients one at a time. In this model, the determination of outcomes is usually based on random (stochastic) selection of patients: a large number of patients are required to be simulated in order to estimate the mean outcomes (and their distribution) for the population considered in the analysis. Benefits of this type of model over cohort models is that it allows individual patient histories to be recorded, and the model can capture (first order) heterogeneity in the patient population. They are often considered more intuitive or more flexible than cohort models. One drawback may be the additional computational requirements for the model to run, particularly when running sensitivity analyses.
How to cite: Patient-Level Simulation Model [online]. (2016). York; York Health Economics Consortium; 2016. https://yhec.co.uk/glossary/patient-level-simulation-model/