An internet-based fuzzy logic expert system for organ transplantation assignment

Organ transplantation is lifesaving. However, the demand for organs far exceeds supply. Due to the resource scarcity (i.e. organs), the special medical requirements for organ transplanting and the urgency in getting the organ to the recipient, it is critical to use information technology to coordinate the organ procurement and transplanting process and to allocate donated organs to recipients quickly, fairly and effectively. In this paper we analyse how information technology can be used to improve organ transplantation services and propose the use of an internet-based fuzzy logic expert system to assist physicians in solving the multi-criteria kidney allocation problem. A pilot fuzzy logic expert system for kidney allocation was developed and evaluated in comparison with two existing allocation algorithms: a priority sorting system used by the Multiple Organ Retrieval and Exchange (MORE) program in Ontario, Canada and a point scoring systems used by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the USA. Our simulated experiment based on real patient data confirms that the fuzzy logic system can represent the expert’s thinking in a satisfactory manner in handling complex trade-offs and overall, the fuzzy logic derived recommendations were more acceptable to the expert than those from the MORE and UNOS algorithms. © 2001 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.