Exploring the social value of health‐care interventions: a stated preference discrete choice experiment

Abstract

SUMMARYMuch of the literature on distributive preferences covers specific considerations in isolation, and recent reviews have suggested that research is required to inform on the relative importance of various key considerations. Responding to this research recommendation, we explore the distributive preferences of the general public using a set of generic social value judgments. We report on a discrete choice experiment (DCE) survey, using face-to-face interviews, in a sample of the general population (n 5 259). The context for the survey was resource allocation decisions in the UK National Health Service, using the process of health technology appraisal as an example. The attributes used covered health improvement, value for money, severity of health, and availability of other treatments, and it is the first such survey to use cost-effectiveness in scenarios described to the general public. Results support the feasibility and acceptability of the DCE approach for the elicitation of public preferences. Choice data are used to consider the relative importance of changes across attribute levels, and to model utility scores and relative probabilities for the full set of combinations of attributes and levels in the experimental design used (n 5 64). Results allow the relative social value of health technology scenarios to be explored. Findings add to a sparse literature on 'social' preferences, and show that DCE data can be used to consider the strength of preference over alternative scenarios in a prioritysetting context.

Comparative analysis of decision maker preferences for equity/efficiency attributes in reimbursement decisions in three European countries

“…Moving onto respondents' occupation, we find significant heterogeneity in preferences. In Hungary, respondents 6 Purely equitable and purely efficient interventions are those where all equity attributes are set to one (with all efficiency attributes to zero) and those where all efficiency attributes are set to one (with all equity attributes to zero), respectively. 7 Results are available from the authors upon request.…”

“…In the absence of rational and transparent approaches to priority setting, decisions are partly made based on ad-hoc priority settings [6][7][8][9]. With the preferences of decision makers playing an important role in decisions, several studies have attempted to elicit policy makers' preferences in recent years [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Perceptions, Preferences, and Acceptance of Information and Communication Technologies in Older-Adult Community Care Settings in Ireland: A Case-Study and Ranked-Care Program Analysis

“…Following consumer choice theory (Lancaster 1966(Lancaster , 1971, and drawing on stated-preference methodology (as applied by Green and Gerard 2009), three scenarios were used to elicit preferences from samples of the general population. There is a genuine justification for including the public in priority setting within health and social care, given their role in funding the system and their first-hand experience of the various health care programs.…”

Eliciting Public Preference for Health-Care Resource Allocation in South Korea

“…For instance, in many studies, the general population is willing to sacrifice some amount of health gain to support patients of a lower health status [8,9]. In other studies, however, health improvements and value for money were considered to be more important than the severity of disease or the existence of alternative therapy [10,11]. Regarding age, Baker et al [12] found that the public prefers to save the young compared with the old.…”