Constrained Optimization for Decision Making in Health Care Using Python: A Tutorial

Abstract

Many decision-making problems in health involve attempts to maximize some quantity in the setting of fixed constraints. For example, a physician may want to select an antibiotic that maximizes the probability a patient will be cured of an infection while adhering to antibiotic stewardship guidelines that limit the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics to minimize the risk of antibiotic resistance. The manager of a diagnostic imaging department may wish to minimize wait times for a magnetic resonance imaging scan for patients with the highest likelihood of having severe illness constrained by the n