International Journal of Clinical & Medical Surgery

A Systematic Review of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges, and Strategic Approaches for Enhancing Clinical and Operational Outcomes.

Abstract

Babatunde Abdulmalik Yusuf, ThankGod Chimenem Kalagbor, Ogheneochukome Evelyn Ogegere, Alvine Diane Tedongue, Kingsley Uchechukwu Eke, Oghenemudiakevwe Franklyn Ogegere and Konstantin Koshechkin

Purpose: To systematically review the roles, applications, challenges, and effectiveness of multi-agent systems (MAS) in healthcare, focusing on their impact on disease diagnosis, patient monitoring, hospital resource allocation, and personalised treatment.

Methods: This systematic review follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. An extensive search of the main electronic databases including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase was conducted for articles from the year 2015 to 2025. Key search terms included “Multi-Agent Systems in healthcare”, “MAS applications”, and “AI healthcare implementation”. After removal of duplicates, screening, and quality assessment, selected peer-reviewed articles that addressed MAS adoption, benefits, and barriers in healthcare settings were included.

Results: The review identified significant evidence that MAS improves early disease diagnosis by up to 30%, reduces adverse drug events by 26%, and optimizes hospital resource allocation by reducing patient wait times by 30%. MAS-driven, personalised treatment approaches demonstrated a predicted 45% return on investment in drug discovery. Key challenges include data interoperability, privacy concerns, regulatory compliance, algorithmic bias, and high implementation costs. Proposed solutions to these challenges include enhanced data integration, privacy-by-design frameworks, blockchain technology, federated learning, and clinician-cantered training programs. However, the efficacy of MAS varies due to heterogeneity in study designs, healthcare environments, and technological frameworks.

Conclusion: Multi-agent systems hold substantial promise for transforming healthcare delivery by improving diagnostic accuracy, operational efficiency, and personalised care. Addressing technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges through standardised frameworks and interdisciplinary collaborations is crucial for their widespread and equitable adoption. Further large-scale, standardised research is recommended to optimize MAS implementation and validate long-term outcomes

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