Perceived bidirectional coordination on disaster-induced health-related efforts among decision-making units

Abstract

This study introduces a novel computational approach for inter-organization coordinated rescue and humanitarian efforts in mitigating disaster-related health impacts deployed in three interrelated phases. First, the fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis is used to generate importance weights of the criteria defining coordination among decision-making units. Second, treating the criteria as layers of information, the hesitant triangular fuzzy sets handle information uncertainty, and the aggregation of such information obtains the proposed “perceived coordination index”. As a novel concept in this work, the proposed index describes the decision-making unit's directional willingness to coordinate with other units. Lastly, to encourage a more beneficial “give-take” relationship arising from the proposed index, the sorting method based on Additive Ratio ASsessment facilitates the establishment of bidirectional relations that mutually inform decision-making units on which of the other units they should build coordination. An actual case study among 21 municipalities in South Cebu, Philippines, demonstrates the deployment of the proposed framework. The results highlighted the significance of distance, frequency of communication, and collaborative training in disaster response and revealed top municipalities that are highly willing to collaborate, forming extensive networks with neighboring counterparts and four clusters of municipalities with high coordination potential. Findings of the sorting process revealed that the City of Talisay and the Municipality of Ronda possess the greatest number of collaborative networks, positioning them as key hubs for cooperation. The former is a city belonging to a high economic class with a well-established disaster risk and management office, while the latter is situated in a location easily accessible and close to other municipalities. Other municipalities prioritize regional partnerships, emphasizing the importance of customized disaster management strategies. These findings emphasize the role of geographical proximity in disaster preparedness and collaborative response efforts. Sensitivity analysis to changes in criteria importance and comparative analysis with other sorting methods reveal the robustness of the proposed framework.