Fuzzy AHP and utility theory based patient sorting in emergency departments
by Omar M. Ashour, Gul E. Okudan
International Journal of Collaborative Enterprise (IJCENT), Vol. 1, No. 3/4, 2010

Abstract: Triage, a classification system used to separate patients based on the acuity of their condition, is considered in this study. Triage process relies on the nurse's interaction with the patient (e.g., a conversation on symptoms, visual observation, and vital sign measurements), and the subsequent severity classification. However, potential miscommunication, and thus uncertainty could be present in this process. In order to account for this uncertainty, a triage algorithm that uses fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) along with the multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) to sort the patients is presented. FAHP is used to get an acuity score on the chief complaint, and MAUT integrates this score with age, gender, and pain level to provide a final prioritisation. In the paper, a clinical case study is provided for which we used an expert nurse's judgments to build the FAHP and the utility functions.

Online publication date: Tue, 01-Feb-2011

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