title: The comparative evaluation of expanded national immunization policies in Korea using an analytic hierarchy process.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Taeksoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Chun-Bae
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yang-Heui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Hyo-Youl
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uh
authors.forename: Joo-Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Dong-Han
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Un-Yeong
authors.initials: UY
authors.lastname: Go
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D006291:Health Policy; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*