MULTI-CRITERIA MODEL FOR CLASSIFICATION AND PRIORITIZATION IN THE ADMISSION OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS: CASE STUDY IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL IN THE STATE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE
Psychiatric bed regulation. Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). Patient classification. FITradeoff.
Given the growing demand for specialized mental health services and the global reduction in psychiatric beds, it is essential to implement effective interventions to regulate these beds. Efficient management of this demand requires careful classification, in which the regulatory professional considers multiple criteria for decision-making. In this context, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) stands out as a robust support tool. This study aimed to develop an MCDA model to classify and prioritize patients at the Rio Grande do Norte Regulation Center. The research, applied to the Health Regulation and Assessment Coordination (CORSA), was conducted in three stages: planning, structuring and analysis. In the structuring phase, the Value Focused Thinking (VFT) method was used to identify relevant criteria and a twelve-step framework for modeling. As a result, five main criteria for bed regulation were identified: heteroaggressiveness, degree of assistance, clinical stability, suicidal ideation or attempt and belonging to special populations. The FITradeoff method was chosen because it reduces the decision maker's cognitive effort. The model was validated by classifying patients according to the reality of the regulatory center, demonstrating high robustness (more than 90%) in the sensitivity analysis. It was concluded that the application of the model optimizes bed regulation, proving its potential to support decisions based on multi-criteria criteria