Fuzzy FMEA application to improve decision-making process in an emergency department

Hospitals are one of the important service industries of health care for patients. The emergency department is the heart of every hospital, because the errors or failures occurring in it will significantly affect the safety of patients and the goodwill of the hospital. Therefore, emergency departments should be monitored carefully. This study proposed the application of Fuzzy failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) for prioritization and assessment of failures that likely occur in the working process of an emergency department. All individuals were assessed independently without the interference of team members. In addition, this method could reduce the limitations of traditional FMEA. The prioritization of risks could also help the emergency department to choose corrective actions wisely. In conclusion, the Fuzzy FMEA method was found to be suitably adopted in the emergency department. Finally, this method helped to increase the level of confidence on hospitals. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.