Table 1 Revised version of Brennan’s taxonomy of model structures [22, 24]
| Â | A | B | C | D | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cohort/aggregate-level/counts | Individual-level | |||||
Expected value, continuous state, deterministic | Markovian, discrete state, stochastic | Markovian, discrete state | Non-Markovian, discrete state | |||
1 | No interaction | Untimed | Decision tree rollback or comparative risk assessment | Simulation decision tree or comparative risk assessment | Individual sampling model: Simulated patient-level decision tree or comparative risk assessment | |
2 | Timed | Markov model (deterministic) | Simulation Markov model | Individual sampling model: Simulated patient-level Markov model | ||
3 | Interaction between entity and environment | Discrete time | System dynamics (finite difference equations) | Discrete time Markov chain model | Discrete-time individual event history model | Discrete-time discrete event simulation |
4 | Continuous time | Systems dynamics (ordinary differential equations) | Continuous time Markov chain model | Continuous time individual event history model | Continuous-time discrete event simulation | |
5 | Interaction between heterogeneous entities/spatial aspects important | x | x | x | Agent-based simulation | |