Designing a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework to Establish a Value Ranking System for the Quality Evaluation of Long-Term Care Services

Abstract

Various levels of government across Taiwan are eager to promote the establishment of long-term care residential facilities to meet the significant caregiving needs arising from the wave of population aging. However, the successful establishment of an effective mechanism relies on proper supervision and guidance. Therefore, implementing a value assessment system for long-term care service quality management is of paramount importance. Using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach can provide effective conditions for the establishment of such system and enable a more comprehensive and objective evaluation of long-term care service quality. Using this system, decision-makers can incorporate different indicators based on various needs and weights to evaluate the quality and performance of long-term care services. This facilitates the determination of priorities and the formulation of improvement strategies, thereby enhancing the quality of long-term care services. This study develops an information-based assessment model for a platform that is win-win for both institutions and individuals. The model incorporates consumer reputation and environmental social governance (ESG) dimensions, in addition to indicators such as operational and management efficiency, professional care quality, safety and environmental facilities, and protection of individual rights and interests. Further, it integrates multiple indicator items and employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to decompose and structure complex multi-dimensional issues, thereby aligning itself with current corporate evaluations. It aims to assist care service agencies in making key service quality decisions across different dimensions, and enhance the overall quality and competitiveness of those agencies, while increasing public trust and recognition in the evaluation of care service quality.