LLM-based Agent Simulation for Maternal Health Interventions: Uncertainty Estimation and Decision-focused Evaluation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Martinson, Sarah, Kong, Lingkai, Kim, Cheol Woo, Taneja, Aparna, Tambe, Milind
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866910898862424064
author Martinson, Sarah
Kong, Lingkai
Kim, Cheol Woo
Taneja, Aparna
Tambe, Milind
author_facet Martinson, Sarah
Kong, Lingkai
Kim, Cheol Woo
Taneja, Aparna
Tambe, Milind
contents Agent-based simulation is crucial for modeling complex human behavior, yet traditional approaches require extensive domain knowledge and large datasets. In data-scarce healthcare settings where historic and counterfactual data are limited, large language models (LLMs) offer a promising alternative by leveraging broad world knowledge. This study examines an LLM-driven simulation of a maternal mobile health program, predicting beneficiaries' listening behavior when they receive health information via automated messages (control) or live representatives (intervention). Since uncertainty quantification is critical for decision-making in health interventions, we propose an LLM epistemic uncertainty estimation method based on binary entropy across multiple samples. We enhance model robustness through ensemble approaches, improving F1 score and model calibration compared to individual models. Beyond direct evaluation, we take a decision-focused approach, demonstrating how LLM predictions inform intervention feasibility and trial implementation in data-limited settings. The proposed method extends to public health, disaster response, and other domains requiring rapid intervention assessment under severe data constraints. All code and prompts used for this work can be found at https://github.com/sarahmart/LLM-ABS-ARMMAN-prediction.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_22719
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle LLM-based Agent Simulation for Maternal Health Interventions: Uncertainty Estimation and Decision-focused Evaluation
Martinson, Sarah
Kong, Lingkai
Kim, Cheol Woo
Taneja, Aparna
Tambe, Milind
Artificial Intelligence
Agent-based simulation is crucial for modeling complex human behavior, yet traditional approaches require extensive domain knowledge and large datasets. In data-scarce healthcare settings where historic and counterfactual data are limited, large language models (LLMs) offer a promising alternative by leveraging broad world knowledge. This study examines an LLM-driven simulation of a maternal mobile health program, predicting beneficiaries' listening behavior when they receive health information via automated messages (control) or live representatives (intervention). Since uncertainty quantification is critical for decision-making in health interventions, we propose an LLM epistemic uncertainty estimation method based on binary entropy across multiple samples. We enhance model robustness through ensemble approaches, improving F1 score and model calibration compared to individual models. Beyond direct evaluation, we take a decision-focused approach, demonstrating how LLM predictions inform intervention feasibility and trial implementation in data-limited settings. The proposed method extends to public health, disaster response, and other domains requiring rapid intervention assessment under severe data constraints. All code and prompts used for this work can be found at https://github.com/sarahmart/LLM-ABS-ARMMAN-prediction.
title LLM-based Agent Simulation for Maternal Health Interventions: Uncertainty Estimation and Decision-focused Evaluation
topic Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.22719