An informatics approach to complex research problems. Dynamic process modeling

In the nursing literature, the term computer simulation refers exclusively to an educational tool that requires the user to respond to simulated events and to engage in the decision-making process. However, computer simulations are frequently constructed to model dynamic systems (systems that change with time) and to randomly simulate real life events in an effort to study complex problems. In this context, computer simulation is a research methodology and is used in a wide variety of disciplines including the behavioral sciences and business management. Nurses will inevitably encounter research studies where computer simulation has been employed. It is also very likely that this methodology will be used as a nursing research tool in the near future. This article introduces and describes the use of computers to model dynamic systems, the theory that supports simulation modeling as a research methodology, and the issues of model validation. Included are examples of four different research problems from diverse fields of study where computer simulation has been applied.