Enhancing healthcare facility resilience: utilizing machine learning model for airborne disease infection prediction

Abstract

During this pandemic, advanced epidemiological models have been widely used to determine intervention strategies for controlling the spread of the disease in public and healthcare settings. These models played a crucial role by providing predictive insights into disease transmission dynamics, informing resource allocation and guiding policy decisions. However, the accuracy of these predictions depends on the substantial amount of input data, which was not readily available at the onset of the pandemic. Another concern with the existing models is their inability to adequately account for the complex indoor built environments, which has been shown to significantly impact infection risk. To tackle these issues, this paper discusses the potential of developing a joint modelling technique that integrates machine learning models, building information models and agent-based models to assess the risk of nosocomial airborne infections. With limited available data, machine learning models can determine infection risk with high confidence.