Identification and Prioritization of Effective Interventions in the Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic using DEMATEL Method

Introduction: COVID-19, which appeared in December 2019, has impressed the whole world. The corona virus had far-reaching effects on all health care systems and has had a direct impact on almost all areas of human life in all countries of the world, which has led countries to take various public and social health measures. Making decisions during the coronavirus pandemic has numerous challenges. In this study, a multi-criteria decision-making method called DEMATEL was used to identify and prioritize effective interventions in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material & Methods:  Effective interventions to control COVID-19 were identified using literature review, and these factors were then ranked employing DEMATEL. Furthermore, three experts specialized in DEMATEL methodology were requested to rank 21 influential factors identified based on the relative importance. Findings: The results of this study showed that prompt and timely public health measures (20/238), home quarantine for patients and carriers (20/130), appropriate patient tracking with the implementation of Shahid Soleimani plan (19/383), the availability of health services and social services during the quarantine (19/239), and educational interventions regarding public acceptance of the vaccine (19/161) are the most important effective interventions in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion & Conclusion: The results of the study showed that 21 interventions were effective in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic .According to the identification and prioritization of effective interventions obtained from this study, using DEMATEL method, it is possible to control coronavirus infection in the community with high accuracy.