Rank aggregation methods comparison: A case for triage prioritization

This paper seeks to test and to determine a suitable aggregation method to represent a set of rankings made by individual decision makers (DMs). A case study for triage prioritization is used to test the aggregation methods. The triage is a decision-making process with which patients are prioritized according to their medical condition and chance of survival on arrival at the emergency department (ED). There is a lot of subjective decision-making in the process which leads to discrepancies among nurses. Four rank aggregation methods are applied to the prioritization data and then an expert evaluates the results and judges them on practicality and acceptability. The proposed recommendation for preference aggregation is the method of the estimation of utility intervals. Expert opinion is highly valued in a decision-making environment such as this, where experience and intuition are key to successful job performance and outcomes. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.