A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach for hospital sustainability performance assessment

Abstract

PurposeNowadays, the sustainability of healthcare services is of increasing importance. In particular, hospitals have ceased to be only treatment-oriented institutions and have begun to operate on the principles of sustainability in their environmental, economic and social dimensions. In this context, a comprehensive method is required to evaluate and improve the performance of hospitals.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, it is recommended to combine D-DEMATEL (D number theory and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory methods) and objectives matrix (OMAX) methods, which are two important methods in determining hospital performance. D-DEMATEL is a technique used to analyze complex relationships and interactions that reduces subjective judgments because it is based on the opinions of many decision-makers and can be applied even in cases of incomplete information. OMAX, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive framework for measuring performance and allows different performance indicators to be evaluated together.FindingsThe novel performance assessment model is applied to a hospital in real life. Its performance value, according to 36 determined performance indicators, is calculated at 56.91%. The indicators of the hospital that need improvement are defined by the traffic light system method. The performance indicator importance ranking of D-DEMATEL is compared to the ranking obtained by the fuzzy DEMATEL method.Originality/value Important indicators to be used in later sustainable hospital performance evaluation studies were determined. Also, an integrated D-DEMATEL and OMAX method for evaluating sustainable hospital performance is presented.