The comparative evaluation of expanded national immunization policies in Korea using an analytic hierarchy process.
The purpose of this paper is to propose new evaluation criteria and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to assess the expanded national immunization programs (ENIPs) and to evaluate two alternative health care policies. One of the alternative policies is that private clinics and hospitals would offer free vaccination services to children and the other of them is that public health centers would offer these free vaccination services. Our model to evaluate the ENIPs was developed using brainstorming, Delphi techniques, and the AHP model. We first used the brainstorming and Delphi techniques, as well as literature reviews, to determine 25 criteria with which to evaluate the national immunization policy; we then proposed a hierarchical structure of the AHP model to assess ENIPs. By applying the proposed AHP model to the assessment of ENIPs for Korean immunization policies, we show that free vaccination services should be provided by private clinics and hospitals rather than public health centers.
Shin
Taeksoo
T
Department of Management Information Systems, College of Government & Business, Yonsei University, 234 Maeji, Heungup, Wonju City, Gangwon-do 220-710, Republic of Korea. tsshin@yonsei.ac.kr
Kim
Chun-Bae
CB
Ahn
Yang-Heui
YH
Kim
Hyo-Youl
HY
Cha
Byung Ho
BH
Uh
Young
Y
Lee
Joo-Heon
JH
Hyun
Sook-Jung
SJ
Lee
Dong-Han
DH
Go
Un-Yeong
UY
D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D006291:Health Policy; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*