QPRC 2016

The Optimal Control of Child Delivery for Women with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Aysegul Demirtas

Arizona State University 

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) constitute one of the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in the world. We consider the decision problem of timing and mode of delivery for women with HDP. We formulate a discrete-time, infinite-horizon Markov decision process model in which the objective is to minimize the risks of maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. We use clinical data in our computational results and provide delivery strategies under various scenarios.