7956 Assessing Factors Influencing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Using Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Abstract Disclosure: N.B. Trivedi: None. J. Amin: None. M. Patel: None. S. Patel: None. P. Rana: None. A. Rajani: None. V. Dave: None. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal disorder having multifactorial origins. This study aims to apply Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods like Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize factors influencing PCOS. In our study, 10 criteria impacting PCOS were identified through extensive literature review. AHP and DEMATEL were used via matrices, assessed by 13 experts. AHP determined relative importance/weights while DEMATEL assessed interconnectedness among criteria. AHP revealed that family history held the highest weight (0.22) while Insulin resistance held the lowest weight at 0.04. The results obtained from DEMATEL indicated that factors like obesity, insulin resistance, diet, psychological stress and sedentary lifestyle displayed higher D+R values, suggesting a strong influence on other factors; indicating their significant impact on the syndrome. The division of criteria into cause and effect groups based on D-R values revealed that family history, environmental factors, diet, sedentary lifestyle and psychological stress appear to be causative and sleep disturbances, low-grade inflammation, excess androgen and insulin resistance seem to be the consequences of PCOS. In AHP the criteria are treated as being independent to each other and their hierarchal order is determined. However, in realistic scenarios factors may have some sort of interdependency/relationship with one another. To identify that interdependency which AHP fails to focus on, DEMATEL was used. DEMATEL ensues that Insulin resistance along with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and psychological stress show strong level of influence and interconnectedness, indicating a significant impact on the syndrome. However, insulin resistance, when treated as an independent criterion in AHP, displays lower weightage. In the end, improved PCOD treatment would come from targeted interventions and strategies that centre on the variables with a higher D+R value. When the criteria were considered independent of each other in AHP, highest weight is conferred to family history (despite of it having moderately low level of influence/interconnectedness on other criteria as ensued from DEMATEL) thus prompting more research in the direction of investigating genetic and familial factors associated with PCOS. This could consequently lead to early diagnosis and effective long term management. The combined methodology (DEMATEL+AHP) ensures comprehensive assessment of PCOS factors. Previous studies might have focused on individual factors separately or failed to adequately explore their interrelationships and relative importance. MCDA can be further employed in healthcare to assess conflicting treatment modalities, risk factors etc. for other multifactorial disorders. Presentation: 6/2/2024