A Novel Graph Model for Conflict Resolution Under Power Asymmetry of Multiple Decision-Makers for Medical-Nursing Care Implementation in China

Implementing integrated medical-nursing care programs for the elderly is increasingly recognized as a standard approach to address the challenges of elderly care in China. However, fierce conflicts have erupted during the implementation of medical-nursing care due to resource limitations. To achieve viable integration, it is crucial to leverage the government’s inherent power for effectively resolving the current conflicts. Therefore, this paper proposes a negotiation approach aimed at effectively solving the conflicts among the Government, Medical-nursing institutions, and Elderly population in China based on the graph model for conflict resolution under power asymmetry (GMCRPA). The novelty includes demonstrating how medical-nursing institutions and the elderly population can adjust their preferences to reach consensus with the government. Compared with the existing GMCRPA model for two decision-makers (DMs), the complexity of the opponent’s movement patterns is greatly increased in the models including multiple decision-makers. Thus, an approach for calculating the reachable sets of the heterogeneous opponent coalition is presented in this paper. Furthermore, the introduced stability analysis also reflects the interaction of different decision-makers under power asymmetry, which makes the proposal being more in line with real-world scenarios. Finally, the robustness of the proposed method is demonstrated in a practical application aimed at resolving medical-nursing care conflicts. The study offers policymakers conflict negotiation strategies rooted in power theory, facilitating the sustainable implementation of an integrated healthcare system for the aging population.