AccScience Publishing / IJOCTA / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJOCTA026020008
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Optimizing predictive accuracy in general medical exams using hybrid machine learning and metaheuristic optimization methods

Nguyen Minh Tuan1 Tran Trung Duy1* Phayung Meesad2 Nguyen Hong Son1 Nguyen Trong Hien3 Huynh Trong Thua 1 Vo Van Tinh3 Chau Van Van1 Nguyen Le Nha Trang1
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1 Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Information Technology, Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
2 Department of Information Technology and Management, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
3 Faculty of Public Health, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Received: 11 January 2026 | Revised: 10 February 2026 | Accepted: 14 February 2026 | Published online: 10 April 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

This study presents a hybrid, metaheuristic-driven optimization framework for power hyperparameter tuning in predictive modeling based on large-scale annual health examination data. Different from conventional grid and random search strategies, the proposed method directly incorporates particle swarm optimization, artificial bee colony, and gravitational search algorithm into the training pipeline of multiple machine learning models, enabling adaptive exploration of high-dimensional parameter spaces under clinical data constraints. The approach was evaluated on a comprehensive dataset comprising 93 clinical attributes and 1,000 patient records, with a specific focus on ischemic stroke risk prediction. Random Forest, decision tree, support vector machine, and logistic regression models were optimized using the proposed hybrid structure and benchmarked against baseline configurations. Experimental results demonstrate consistent and statistically significant reductions in mean squared error, mean absolute error, and root mean squared error, alongside improvements in R2 and classification accuracy exceeding 99% for optimized logistic regression models, while maintaining computational efficiency suitable for routine clinical deployment. Beyond performance gains, the study introduces a stacked ensemble architecture guided by metaheuristic-tuned base learners, enhancing model robustness and generalization across training and independent test sets. These findings demonstrate the practical novelty of integrating swarm and numerical optimization into clinical predictive pipelines, providing a scalable and domain-agnostic solution for high-accuracy risk decision support in preventive healthcare and other data-intensive applications.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Metaheuristic algorithm
Machine learning
Yearly wellness visit
Particle swarm optimization
Artificial bee colony algorithm
Gravitational search algorithm
Logistic regression
Random Forest
Support Vector Machine
Decision tree
Funding
This study was funded by the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (grant number: 999/QD-HV).
Conflict of interest
The authors confirm no conflicts of interest.
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An International Journal of Optimization and Control: Theories & Applications, Electronic ISSN: 2146-5703 Print ISSN: 2146-0957, Published by AccScience Publishing