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Bayesian methodology for dynamic modelling

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Journal of Simulation

Abstract

We describe a Bayesian methodology for fitting deterministic dynamic models, demonstrating how this can be used to estimate the uncertainty around model outputs. By its nature, Bayesian statistics allows all available sources of information to be incorporated: prior knowledge of the model parameter values and data corresponding to the model outputs, thus allowing for a thorough analysis of the uncertainty. The methodology is demonstrated with an example: a deterministic compartmental model of tuberculosis and HIV disease. We discuss how this method might be modified to allow a similar analysis of stochastic simulation models.

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Acknowledgements

The research was part funded by EPSRC and the World Health Organization as part of a PhD project. Professor Russell Cheng provided useful advice on an earlier draft of this paper. Dr Brian Williams, Dr Chris Dye and Dr Katherine Floyd from the World Health Organization were of assistance in building the TB–HIV model and designing the cost-effectiveness study. I am also grateful to two anonymous referees for their useful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

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Correspondence to C S M Currie.

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Currie, C. Bayesian methodology for dynamic modelling. J Simulation 1, 97–107 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jos.4250014

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