Identification and Prioritization of Key Factors in the Liver Transplantation System using DEMATEL-modified ANP Method

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Industrial Engineering, South-Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Operations Management and Information Technology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine and the treatment process in many diseases begins with the provision of transplanted organs. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who donate.
 
Objectives: With a significant gap between waitlisted patients and those who undergo liver transplantation (LT), it is crucial to have efficient allocation of this scarce resource and improve the performance of LT centers.
 
Methods: In the present research, using the DEMATEL-modified ANP method, an attempt was made to identify, weigh, and prioritize the key factors influencing the transplantation process in the LT system. For this purpose, the liver transplant center at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, was piloted to study the transplant process and interview the medical staff as specialists to draw a relationship map.
 
Results: The obtained results indicated that the accuracy of patient selection for transplantation, surgical equipment, and the level of expertise of personnel were important factors in LT success. Then, by analyzing the results, management suggestions regarding the improvement of the quality of the services and systems were presented.
 
Conclusion: The findings of this research can help health policy-makers and decision-makers to better understand the determinants of the performance of a transplantation center and suggest improvement plans. This means saving more lives and, at the same time, minimizing the cost of service.
 

Keywords

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi International Journal of Medicine
Volume 11, Issue 1
February 2023
Pages 21-26

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