| Healthcare delivery systems around the world are faced with growing demand to provide a better-quality standard of care and at the same time keep the cost and resource utilization minimal. Statistics reveal that diabetes is a major issue in the healthcare industry and there is a strong need to address this problem in order to improve and reduce the cost of its treatment. Furthermore, evidence of the effectiveness of self-monitoring blood glucose levels is unclear, particularly in patients with Type 2 diabetes. In this study, interaction between the diabetic patient and the physician in current healthcare settings is modeled and simulated using software agent technology to demonstrate the long term clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of various diabetic interventions such as self-monitoring and lifestyle adjustments. |
