Ranking Healthcare Centers Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and TOPSIS: Iranian Experience

Establishing justice in healthcare services is currently a major challenge for public healthcare systems, especially in developing countries. Inadequate distribution of resources and facilities is among the root causes of unfair access to healthcare. Using ranking mechanisms, healthcare managers are able to compare different areas in terms of the services they receive, which will help achieve balanced allocation of services. Ranking allows fair dispersion of financial resources as well as human workforce. It also helps monitor and evaluate plans so that the strengths and weaknesses can be identified and improved. Furthermore, incentive policies can be devised for healthcare managers and providers throughout the country. This paper aims to present rank healthcare centers in the Province of Golestan in Iran with regards to the execution of the Family Health Program. A multi-criteria decision-making approach is taken: using a Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) for determining the weights of the criteria and Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for ranking the cities of the province. In order to confirm the results, they are compared to those obtained from the Elimination Et Choice Translating Reality (ELECTRE) method. The outcome of this study can significantly aid in improving managerial practices including resource planning, so that the overall performance of healthcare centers can be promoted.