A Framework for Dynamic MCDM in Fuzzy Environment (Case Study: Emergency Department and Triage Patients)

The classic multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) model assumes that, when taking a decision, the decision maker has defined a fixed set of criteria and is presented with a clear picture of all available alternatives. The task then reduces to computing the score of each alternative, thus producing a ranking, and choosing the one that maximizes this value. However, most real-world decisions take place in a dynamic environment, where the final decision is only taken at the end of some exploratory process. Dynamic decisions arise in many applications including military, medical, management, sports and emergency situations. This study proposes a flexible framework for dynamic MCDM, based on the concept of fuzzy sets theory and the VIKOR method to provide a rational, scientific and systematic process for prioritizing patients in Emergency Department (ED) under a fuzzy environment where the uncertainty, subjectivity and vagueness are addressed with linguistic variables parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers.