Identification and Ranking of Factors Affecting Quality Improvement of Health & Treatment Services Using Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM): A Case Study

The sector of health services has a special status compared to other sectors in which even minor mistakes can be irreparable. Therefore, offering services with optimum quality and professional standards is of great importance. The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the quality improvement of services in health and treatment centers of Yazd using multiple attribute decision making.

The study was descriptive and cross-sectional in nature. 55 health care receivers, who were referred to health care centers of Yazd at least once, were selected. A questionnaire, with alpha Cronbach coefficient slope of 78%-86%, including all aspects of the service quality was used.

The factors affecting quality improvement were identified and subsequently ranked using the techniques of TOPSIS, SAW, and ELECTERE. Considering the fact that the results of the implementation of the above-mentioned methods did not reach a general consensus, Copeland merging technique was applied. The results of the ranking showed that the staff’s knowledge and capability enjoyed more priority than the other factors.

The managers of health and treatment centers will be able to prioritize the factors affecting quality improvement of health and treatment services using multiple attribute decision making. This can lead to the quality improvement of health care services.