Use of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Numbers to Prioritize Patients Suspected of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on the Cardiorespiratory Polygraphy Waiting List – A Novel Multi-Criteria Approach

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is, nowadays, one of the most prevalent respiratory disorders worldwide. Characterized by the presence of recurrent episodes of partial or total obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, it is the origin of several health complications. It presents a common symptomatology, prevalent in the general population, causing patients who may not have the condition to be referred for specific studies, thus generating long waiting lists. In this work, the conceptual proposal of a novel multi-criteria method for the hierarchization of OSA-suspect patients based on the use of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers is presented. To do so, the starting point are the opinions and considerations of medical experts, covering the criteria generally considered (i.e., having cardiac pathologies), as well as other more specific factors (i.e., being a professional driver), from which it is possible to establish the priority for carrying out these studies. Given that the method is in its early stages of development, it has not yet been intensively validated; however, it is expected that its implementation will allow waiting lists to be optimized, reducing the impact on the health of the most serious cases and improving the allocation of the limited economic resources available.