Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)最新文献

{"title":"A hybrid Grasshopper optimization algorithm for skin lesion segmentation and melanoma classification using deep learning","authors":"Puneet Thapar ,&nbsp;Manik Rakhra ,&nbsp;Mahmood Alsaadi ,&nbsp;Aadam Quraishi ,&nbsp;Aniruddha Deka ,&nbsp;Janjhyam Venkata Naga Ramesh","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100326","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Skin cancer can be detected through visual examination and confirmed through dermoscopic analysis and various diagnostic tests. This is because visual observation enables early detection of unique skin images by artificial intelligence. Promising outcomes are shown by several Convolution Neural Network (CNN)–based skin lesion classification systems that employ tagged skin images. This study suggests a practical approach for identifying skin cancers using dermoscopy pictures, improving specialists' ability to distinguish benign from malignant tumors. The Swarm Intelligence (SI) approach used dermoscopy photographs to locate lesions on the skin areas Region of interest (ROI). The Grasshopper Optimization technique produced the best segmentation outcomes. The Speed-Up Robust Features (SURF) approach is applied to extract features based on these findings. Two groups were created using the ISIC-2017, ISIC-2018, and PH-2 databases to categorize skin tumors. With an estimated accuracy in classification of 98.52%, preciseness of 96.73%, and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 97.04%, the suggested classification and segmentation methodologies have been evaluated for classification efficacy, specificity, sensitivity, F-measure, preciseness, the MCC, the dice coefficient, and Jaccard's index. In every performance indicator, the method we suggest outperformed state-of-the-art methods.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100326"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000285/pdfft?md5=788ca998d423bb8484193b39296db8c3&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000285-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140344081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An ensemble classification approach for cervical cancer prediction using behavioral risk factors","authors":"Md Shahin Ali,&nbsp;Md Maruf Hossain,&nbsp;Moutushi Akter Kona,&nbsp;Kazi Rubaya Nowrin,&nbsp;Md Khairul Islam","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cervical cancer is a significant public health concern among females worldwide. Despite being preventable, it remains a leading cause of mortality. Early detection is crucial for successful treatment and improved survival rates. This study proposes an ensemble Machine Learning (ML) classifier for efficient and accurate identification of cervical cancer using medical data. The proposed methodology involves preparing two datasets using effective preprocessing techniques, extracting essential features using the scikit-learn package, and developing an ensemble classifier based on Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Gaussian Naïve Bayes, and Decision Tree classifier traits. Comparison with other state-of-the-art algorithms using several ML techniques, including support vector machine, decision tree, random forest, Naïve Bayes, logistic regression, CatBoost, and AdaBoost, demonstrates that the proposed ensemble classifier outperforms them significantly, achieving accuracies of 98.06% and 95.45% for Dataset 1 and Dataset 2, respectively. The proposed ensemble classifier outperforms current state-of-the-art algorithms by 1.50% and 6.67% for Dataset 1 and Dataset 2, respectively, highlighting its superior performance compared to existing methods. The study also utilizes a five-fold cross-validation technique to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed methodology for predicting cervical cancer using medical data. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves with corresponding Area Under the Curve (AUC) values are 0.95 for Dataset 1 and 0.97 for Dataset 2, indicating the overall performance of the classifiers in distinguishing between the classes. Additionally, we employed SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) as an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) technique to visualize the classifier’s performance, providing insights into the important features contributing to cervical cancer identification. The results demonstrate that the proposed ensemble classifier can efficiently and accurately identify cervical cancer and potentially improve cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100324"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000261/pdfft?md5=70cb57a926b1a9a3779e32e8685de5dc&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000261-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140332841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An in-silico game theoretic approach for health intervention efficacy assessment","authors":"Mansura Akter ,&nbsp;Muntasir Alam ,&nbsp;Md. Kamrujjaman","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The global rise of multi-strain epidemics has raised significant concerns in the field of public health. To address this, our research introduces a game-theoretic approach to predict the evolutionary dynamics of multi-strained pathogens. Our proposed model sheds light on the pivotal role of vaccination in controlling the growth of such infectious diseases. Here, we propose a modified Susceptible-Vaccinated-Infected-Recovered (SVIR) model featuring two strains and corresponding vaccines: one is the primary vaccine that is designed to target the original strain (effectiveness: <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>) and simultaneously exhibits some effectiveness against the mutant strain (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>), another is the mutant vaccine that concentrates on the mutant strain (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>η</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>) while showing significant effectiveness against the primary strain (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>η</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>). Next, we present a comprehensive time series analysis to examine the fraction of the vaccinated population who adopted these two vaccines. This work elucidates that with a slight increase effectiveness- setting <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>5</mn></mrow></math></span>, <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>3</mn></mrow></math></span>, <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>η</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>6</mn></mrow></math></span>, and <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>η</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>7</mn></mrow></math></span>- the mutant vaccine works more proficiently under both imitation dynamics known as Individual-Based Risk Assessment (IB-RA) and Strategy-Based Risk Assessment (SB-RA). Furthermore, a detailed analysis comparing these two imitation dynamics is demonstrated and also to reconcile the matter that the Strategy-Based-Risk-Assessment process should be adopted to minimize epidemic size. Finally, considering individuals’ attitudes and behaviors towards vaccination, we introduce a replicator equation. Subsequently, a thorough examination of the relationship between imitation dynamics and behavioral dynamics is presented where imitation dynamics outstripped behavioral dynamics which is confirmed by the use of heat maps.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000200/pdfft?md5=56bb0059ae794daf7e12d0d06530c202&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000200-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140343804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A visual attention-based algorithm for brain tumor detection using an on-center saliency map and a superpixel-based framework","authors":"Nishtha Tomar,&nbsp;Sushmita Chandel,&nbsp;Gaurav Bhatnagar","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100323","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100323","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Brain tumors are life-threatening and are typically identified by experts using imaging modalities like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). However, any error due to human intervention in brain anomaly detection can have devastating consequences. This study proposes a tumor detection algorithm for brain MRI images. Previous research into tumor detection has drawbacks, paving the way for further investigations. A visual attention-based technique for tumor detection is proposed to overcome these drawbacks. Brain tumors have a wide range of intensity, varying from inner matter-alike intensity to skull-alike intensity, making them difficult to threshold. Thus, a unique approach to threshold using entropy has been utilized. An on-center saliency map accurately captures the biological visual attention-focused tumorous region from the original image. Later, a superpixel-based framework has been proposed and used to capture the true structure of the tumor. Finally, it was experimentally shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing algorithms for brain tumor detection.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100323"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277244252400025X/pdfft?md5=0cd1bf999257ae09143f0847a16c4ea9&pid=1-s2.0-S277244252400025X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140402097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A predictive approach for myocardial infarction risk assessment using machine learning and big clinical data","authors":"Imen Boudali ,&nbsp;Sarra Chebaane ,&nbsp;Yassine Zitouni","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Myocardial infarction is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in emergency departments. Early prevention of this dangerous condition significantly impacts public health and considerable socioeconomic outcomes. The emergence of electronic health records (EHR) and the availability of real-world clinical data have provided opportunities to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare by using artificial intelligence tools. In this study, we focus on the early recognition of risk factors, which can provide valuable information for early prediction of myocardial infarction and promoting a healthy life. Based on a big clinical dataset, we develop a predictive analytics approach for myocardial infarction. A vital step in efficient prediction is assessing the significance of input features, their relationships and their contributions to the disease. Therefore, we adopted statistical techniques, principal component analysis (PCA) and feature engineering. To reveal patterns and insights on our dataset, we implemented machine learning (ML) models varying from classical to more sophisticated: decision trees (DT), random forests (RF), gradient boosting algorithms (GBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost, and XGBoost) and deep neural networks (DNN). The imbalance-data issue is tackled by employing random under-sampling technique. The light gradient boosting model (LightGBM) with feature engineering on the balanced dataset is the best prediction performance achieved in this study.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100319"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000212/pdfft?md5=84022173d4bf80dc26f653c99b2bd0d2&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000212-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140191709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel Deep Learning architecture for lung cancer detection and diagnosis from Computed Tomography image analysis","authors":"Lavina Jean Crasta,&nbsp;Rupal Neema,&nbsp;Alwyn Roshan Pais","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Timely identification of lung nodules, which are precursors to lung cancer, and their evaluation can significantly reduce the incidence rate. Computed Tomography (CT) is the primary technique used for lung cancer screening due to its high resolution. Identifying white, spherical shadows as lung nodules in CT images is essential for accurately detecting lung cancer. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based methods have performed better than traditional techniques in various medical image applications. However, challenges still need to be addressed due to insufficient annotated datasets, significant intra-class variations, and substantial inter-class similarities, which hinder their practical use. Manually labeling the position of nodules on CT slices is critical for distinguishing between benign and malignant cases, but it is an unreliable and time-consuming process. Insufficient data and class imbalance are the primary factors that may result in overfitting and below-par performance. The paper presents a novel Deep Learning (DL) framework to detect and classify lung cancer in input CT images. It introduces a 3D-VNet architecture for accurate segmentation of pulmonary nodules and a 3D-ResNet architecture designed for their classification. The segmentation model achieves a Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 99.34% on the LUNA16 dataset while reducing false positives to 0.4%. The classification model shows performance metrics with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 99.2%, 98.8%, and 99.6%, respectively. The 3D-VNet network outperforms previous segmentation methods by accurately calibrating lung nodules of various sizes and shapes with excellent robustness. The classification model’s metrics show that the suggested method outperforms current approaches regarding accuracy, specificity, sensitivity and F1-Score.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100316"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000182/pdfft?md5=fff9917beeae3c352a464c757f44fada&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000182-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140268525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A fractal-fractional order Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model with Caputo sense","authors":"Subrata Paul ,&nbsp;Animesh Mahata ,&nbsp;Manas Karak ,&nbsp;Supriya Mukherjee ,&nbsp;Santosh Biswas ,&nbsp;Banamali Roy","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study explores the intricacies of the COVID-19 pandemic by employing a four-compartment model with a fractal-fractional derivative based on Caputo concept. The analysis hinges on Schauder fixed point theorem, used to qualitatively examine the solutions and ascertain their existence and uniqueness within the model. The fundamental reproduction number is determined through the next-generation matrix approach. This study delves into the stability of equilibrium points and conducts a sensitivity analysis of model parameters. The equilibrium without infections is locally and globally stable when the basic reproduction number is less than 1. Also, this equilibrium becomes unstable when the basic reproduction number exceeds 1. Applying Lyapunov principles and the Routh–Hurwitz criteria, it is established that the endemic equilibrium point is globally stable for the basic reproduction number values greater than 1. The proposed model incorporates Ulam-Hyers stability through nonlinear functional analysis. Lagrange interpolation method estimates solutions for the fractal-fractional order COVID-19 model. Numerical simulations are performed using MATLAB software to exemplify the model behavior in the context of the Italian case study. Furthermore, fractal-fractional calculus techniques hold significant promise for comprehending and predicting the pandemic’s global dynamics in other countries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100317"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000194/pdfft?md5=985b95aabaf9f43b119632e70f1bd861&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000194-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140161062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A descriptive analytics of the COVID-19 pandemic in a middle-income country with forward-looking insights","authors":"Norvin P. Bansilan,&nbsp;Jomar F. Rabajante","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The outbreak of COVID-19 unleashed an unprecedented global pandemic, profoundly impacting lives and economies worldwide. Recognizing its severity, the World Health Organization (WHO) swiftly declared it a public health emergency of international concern. In response to this crisis, collaborative efforts have been underway to control the disease and minimize its health and socio-economic impacts worldwide. The COVID-19 epidemic curve holds vital insights into the history of exposure, transmission, testing, tracing, social distancing measures, community lockdowns, quarantine, isolation, and treatment, offering a comprehensive perspective on the nation’s response. One approach to gaining crucial insights is through meticulous analysis of available datasets, empowering us to effectively inform future strategies and responses. This study aims to provide descriptive data analytics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, summarizing the country’s fight by visualizing epidemiological and mobility datasets, revisiting scientific papers and news articles, and creating a timeline of the critical issues faced during the pandemic. By leveraging these multifaceted analyses, policymakers and health authorities can make informed decisions to enhance preparedness, expand inter-agency cooperation, and effectively combat future public health crises. This study seeks to serve as a valuable resource, guiding nations worldwide in comprehending and responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19 and beyond.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100320"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000224/pdfft?md5=b4bbf16b2a3cd55d8c9db39d5f349d1d&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000224-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140161061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A nonlinear mathematical model for exploring the optimal cost-effective therapeutic strategies and within-host viral infections spread dynamics","authors":"Afeez Abidemi ,&nbsp;Mohammad Alnegga ,&nbsp;Taofeek O. Alade","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.health.2024.100321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents a nonlinear mathematical model to capture the constant rates of three different target cells class-specific drug therapeutic measures (namely, drug therapy for blocking new infections, drug therapy for actively infected cells, and drug therapy inhibiting viral production) for the dynamics of within-host viral infections with multiple classes of target cells. The threshold quantity of the control reproduction number of the model is calculated. The global asymptotic behaviours of the model around the steady states are investigated in terms of the control reproduction number. Moreover, the model is extended to an optimal control problem by considering the three constant parameters for drug therapeutic measures as time-dependent control variables. Qualitative analysis of the proposed model is conducted using optimal control theory. Numerical solutions of the derived optimality system are sought to illustrate the efficacies of different combination strategies consisting of using at least any of the three target cells’ class-specific optimal controls in reducing the burden of within-host virus transmission and spread at a minimum cost. Cost-effectiveness analysis is further carried out to determine the least costly and most effective intervention strategy. The cost analysis reveals that the use of only target cells class-specific drug therapy control for blocking new infections is the most cost-effective control strategy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100321"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000236/pdfft?md5=eb513c71bba0e99251cb28da6ed582ec&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000236-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140179828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrated multi-criteria approach to formulate and assess healthcare referral system strategies in developing countries","authors":"Mouhamed Bayane Bouraima ,&nbsp;Stefan Jovčić ,&nbsp;Libor Švadlenka ,&nbsp;Vladimir Simic ,&nbsp;Ibrahim Badi ,&nbsp;Naibei Dan Maraka","doi":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.health.2024.100315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study aims to identify challenges in implementing a quality healthcare referral system in developing countries and explore the strategies to overcome these challenges. Data for this study were collected through consultations with experts in the field. We introduce a novel hybrid method called Criteria Importance Assessment (CIMAS) and Alternative Ranking Order Method Accounting for Two-Step Normalization (AROMAN). CIMAS determines the relative importance of criteria, and AROMAN is employed to rank the strategies. The primary challenges identified include inadequate infrastructure facilities and deficient health information systems. The most appropriate strategy involves focusing on improving infrastructure facilities. We also carry out comprehensive sensitivity and comparative analyses to validate the applicability of the proposed model. This study identifies and elucidates the challenges of establishing a high-quality healthcare referral system in developing countries and substantially contributes to the existing body of knowledge by effectively delineating and prioritizing the strategies to tackle these challenges.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73222,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare analytics (New York, N.Y.)","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772442524000170/pdfft?md5=1af0ea426f4705f8f7cd160427cfd173&pid=1-s2.0-S2772442524000170-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140084758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}