Determining and Ranking of Indicators for Efficiency Evaluation of Hospitals

Introduction: Selecting the best set of input and output indicators and allocation of correct weights to them is a sensitive step in any efficiency evaluation study. Therefore, the present study aims to determine and rank the efficiency indicators of hospitals. Methods: This mixed-method study was carried out in three steps: comprehensive literature review, application of the Delphi method to determine the best indicators for efficiency evaluation of the hospitals, and utilization of a fuzzy analytic hierarchical process (FAHP) for weighting of final indicators and ranking them. Results: 8 input and 9 output indicators were selected for efficiency evaluation of the hospitals which were weighted by FAHP. Among the input indicators, the number of physicians and active beds and among the output indicators, length of stay and number of surgeries were identified to be the most important indicators. Conclusion: According to the proposed indicators and their accurate weights, efficiency evaluation of hospitals can be done more accurately, reliably, and comprehensively.