NosoSim: an agent-based model of nosocomial pathogens circulation in hospitals

International audienceOver the last decades, nosocomial infections have become a major Public Health problem in hospitals worldwide. In this context, it is very important to understand the underlying mechanisms of nosocomial pathogen transmission, in order to devise and assess the best control strategies. Here, we present an agent-based model of pathogen transmission in a hospital ward, NosoSim. In this model, the actions of patients and health-care workers are reproduced at all times in a spatially explicit environment, and pathogen colonization and transmission are simulated. NosoSim allows users to define simulation parameters such as: ward geography, including -but not limited to- the number of rooms; daily allocation and schedule of all present healthcare workers; patient status; microbiological and epidemiological characteristics of all circulating pathogens. After describing the model and its implementation, we illustrate its potential applications through an example addressing a real-life Public-health issue. In this application, NosoSim is used to assess the factors which promote so-called “super-spreading events” in hospital settings