ABSTRACT

Decision-making on day-to-day basis is a common human

practice that essentially requires one to choose a best
alternative among many. Modern-day decision-making has
evolved over the years with early developments dealing with
multi-objective optimization approach in the field of
operations research.
Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) also referred to as
multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), is a research area
that involves the analysis of various available choices in a
situation or research area which spans daily life, social
sciences, engineering, medicine, and many other areas.
MCDM is one of the most popular decision-making tools
utilized in various fields.
The inception of decision-making is explained lucidly by
Benjamin Franklin based on his work on moral algebra. He
gives an example of his stand on an important issue where
he writes arguments that support his views and arguments
that do not. Based on his own understanding, he crosses out
the arguments that hold equal importance. Once he reaches
a stage where all the arguments on one side are crossed out,
he chose the side with leftover arguments. This anecdote
describes the importance of weights in decision-making
process. Since 1950s, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM)
has been practiced actively by theoretical and applied
scientists to test the potential capability of mathematical
modeling of decision-making problem.
INTRODUCTION
Application of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) theory
is the use of computational methods that incorporate
several criteria and order of preference in evaluating and
selecting the best option among many alternatives based on
the desired outcome. It is applied to different fields to obtain
an optimum solution to a problem where there are many
parameters to consider that cannot be decided by the users’
experiences. The application gives a ranking result based on
the selected criteria, their corresponding values, and
assigned weights. The application of MCDM theory
in biomedical engineering and healthcare is a new approach
that can be enormously helpful for patients, doctors, hospital
managers, engineers, etc. Whether it is improving healthcare
delivery or making a sound and safe decision for the benefit
of the patient, healthcare professionals and other decision
makers are always entangled with decision-making
dilemmas. In real-life problems, there are many critical
parameters (criteria) that can directly or indirectly affect the
consequences of different decisions. Stakes are always high
whenever human life is in danger, so it is always important
to make the right decisions. When deciding whether to use a
particular medication, treatment, or medical equipment, not
only are the problems with multiple criteria very complex,
but multiple parties are also deeply affected by the effects.
In essence, MCDM / MCDA involves these four key
components:

 Alternatives (or individuals) to be ranked or chosen from

  Criteria by which the alternatives are evaluated
and compared
 Weights representing the relative importance of the
criteria
 Decision-makers and potentially other stakeholders,
whose preferences are to be represented
As represented in the diagram, the iterativeness of the
process, with multiple possible feedbacks and cycles, serves
to emphasise that MCDM is intended to function as a tool to
help people, individually or in groups, to reach a decision –
i.e. their decision (made by humans), not the tool’s decision.
As well as more transparent and consistent decision-making,
MCDM can also be used to facilitate the participation of a
wide range of stakeholders, systematically taking their
preferences into account. MCDM results can also be used to
communicate and justify the final decision to stakeholders.
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