A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach for hospitals’ sustainability performance evaluation under fuzzy environment
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management
ISSN: 1741-0401
Article publication date: 1 May 2023
Issue publication date: 6 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Hospital structures serve to protect and improve public health; however, they are recognized as a major source of environmental degradation. Thus, an effective performance evaluation framework is required to improve hospital sustainability. In this context, this study presents a holistic methodology that integrates the sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC) with fuzzy Delphi method and fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approaches for evaluating the sustainability performance of hospitals.
Design/methodology/approach
Initially, a comprehensive list of relevant sustainability evaluation criteria was considered based on six SBSC-based dimensions, in line with triple-bottom-line sustainability dimensions, and derived from the literature review and experts’ opinions. Then, the weights of perspectives and their respective criteria are computed and ranked utilizing the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Subsequently, the hospitals’ sustainable performance values are ranked based on these criteria using the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution.
Findings
A numerical application was conducted in six public hospitals to exhibit the proposed model’s applicability. The results of this study revealed that “Patient satisfaction,” “Efficiency,” “Effectiveness,” “Access to care” and “Waste production,” respectively, are the five most important criteria of sustainable performance.
Practical implications
The new model will provide decision-makers with management tools that may help them identify the relevant factors for upgrading the level of sustainability in their hospitals and thus improve public health and community well-being.
Originality/value
This is the first study that proposes a new hybrid decision-making methodology for evaluating and comparing hospitals’ sustainability performance under a fuzzy environment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Citation
Regragui, H., Sefiani, N., Azzouzi, H. and Cheikhrouhou, N. (2024), "A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach for hospitals’ sustainability performance evaluation under fuzzy environment", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 855-888. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-10-2022-0538
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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