Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 13;18(2):e0276508.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276508. eCollection 2023.

A study about management of drugs for leprosy patients under medical monitoring: A solution based on AHP-Electre decision-making methods

Igor W S Falcão  1   2 , Daniel S Souza  1 , Diego L Cardoso  1 , Fernando A R Costa  3 , Karla T F Leite  4 , Harold D de M Junior  5 , Claudio G Salgado  2 , Moisés B da Silva  2 , Josafá G Barreto  2 , Patricia F da Costa  2 , Adriano M Dos Santos  1 , Guilherme A B Conde  6 , Marcos C da R Seruffo  1   2
Affiliations

A study about management of drugs for leprosy patients under medical monitoring: A solution based on AHP-Electre decision-making methods

Igor W S Falcão et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's, is one of the listed neglected tropical diseases as a major health problem global. Treatment is one of the main alternatives, however, the scarcity of medication and its poor distribution are important factors that have driven the spread of the disease, leading to irreversible and multi-resistant complications. This paper uses a distribution methodology to optimize medication administration, taking into account the most relevant attributes for the epidemiological profile of patients and the deficit in treatment via Polychemotherapy. Multi-criteria Decision Methods were applied based on AHP-Electre model in a database with information from patients in the state of Para between 2015 and 2020. The results pointed out that 84% of individuals did not receive any treatment and, among these, the method obtained a gain in the distribution of 68% in patients with positive diagnosis for leprosy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No, the authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Research methodology.
This figure presents the research methodology that was developed in the manuscript.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Index of correlation between attributes.
This figure shows a Pearson correlation model that was applied across attributes this assessment.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Hierarchy of criteria/objectives.
The figure shows the basic hierarchical structure of the AHP method.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Amount of people treated.
The figure shows the distribution of individuals in relation to their clinical classification.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Quantitative of patients.
The figure shows the percentages of diagnoses by individuals.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Data visualization dashboard.
The figure shows an interactive dashboard designed for data visualization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hansen G. A. “Undersøgelser angående spedalskhedens årsager.” Norsk Magazin for Laegevidenskaben.v. 9, n. 4, p. 1–88, 1874.
    1. Wu F., He J., Zheng M., Hu W., Li H., Zhuang L., et al. “Analysis of the Temporal and Spatial Distribution of New Cases of Leprosy in Yunnan Province, 2011–2016.” In: 2018 26th International Conference on Geoinformatics. IEEE, p. 1–3, 2018.
    1. Boigny R. N., Souza E. A. D., Ferreira A. F., Cruz J. R., García G. S. M., Prado N. M. B. D. L., et al.. “Operational failures of leprosy control in household social networks with overlapping cases in endemic areas in Brazil.” Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, v. 29, 2020. - PubMed
    1. Cooreman E., Gillini L., Pemmaraju V., Shridar M., Tisocki K., Ahmed J., et al.. “Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leprosy.” World Heal Organ, v. 1, 2018.
    1. Grzybowski A., Sak J., Pawlikowski J., Nita M. “Leprosy: social implications from antiquity to the present.” Clinics in dermatology, v. 34, n. 1, p. 8–10, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2015.10.009 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances