title: Decision trees and fuzzy logic: a comparison of models for the selection of measles vaccination strategies in Brazil.
abstract: In 1997, health authorities of the state of São Paulo, Brazil designed a vaccination campaign against measles based on a decision model that utilized fuzzy logic. The chosen mass vaccination strategy was implemented and changed the natural course of the epidemic in that state. We have built a model using a decision tree and compare it to the fuzzy logic model. Using essentially the same set of assumptions about this problem, we contrast the two approaches. The models identify the same strategy as being the best one, but exhibit differences in the ranking of the remaining strategies.
authors.affiliation: Decision Systems Group, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ohno-Machado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lacson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Massad
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003663:Decision Trees; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D007223:Infant; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine