A new EDAS method for probabilistic linguistic information based on evidence theory and its application in evaluating nursing homes

With the sharp increase in the elderly population and the gradual invalidation of traditional long-term care style, the supply-demand contradiction for nursing homes services appears. A suitable evaluation mechanism is very useful to resolve the contradiction. The evaluation process can be seen as a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. Because some criteria are subjective and the evaluation process usually needs more than one decision maker (DM), probabilistic linguistic information is suitable to express DMs’ opinions. Therefore, we propose a novel EDAS method with probabilistic linguistic information based on D-S evidence theory for evaluating nursing homes. First, a new score function for probabilistic linguistic term set (PLTS) is put forward in order to compare PLTSs and use EDAS method conveniently. Then, a novel uncertainty measure based on D-S evidence theory is proposed to obtain the criteria weights. Furthermore, a novel EDAS method for PLTSs based on cobweb area model is put forward to reduce the effect of some extreme values influencing the decision result. Finally, our method is applied to a real case of evaluating nursing homes in Nanjing city, and the effectiveness of our method is illustrated by comparing the traditional decision methods.