Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-2rsb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-12T15:02:05.512Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Patient-dependent effects in disease control: a mathematical model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Jean M. Tchuenche
Affiliation:
Mathematics Department, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35062, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; e-mail: jmt_biomaths@yahoo.co.uk.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

The state of a patient is an important concept in biomedical sciences. While analytical methods for predicting and exploring treatment strategies of disease dynamics have proven to have useful applications in public health policy and planning, the state of a patient has attracted less attention, at least mathematically. As a result, models constructed in relation to treatment strategies may not be very informative. We derive a patient-dependent parameter from an age-physiology dependent population model, and show that a single treatment strategy is not always optimal. Also, we derive a function which increases with the patient dependence parameter and describes the effort expended to be in good health.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Mathematical Society 2007