Women's preferences for inpatient and outpatient priming for labour induction: a discrete choice experiment.

Background: In many countries a high proportion of births begin as induced labours. Induction can be lengthy if cervical priming is required prior to induction. This usually occurs as an inpatient, however, an alternative is to allow women to go home after satisfactory fetal monitoring.

Preferences for policy options for cannabis in an Australian general population: A discrete choice experiment.

Background: Policy choices for illicit drugs such as cannabis entail consideration of competing factors such as individual health, societal views about pleasure, and criminal justice impacts. Society must weigh up these factors in determining the preferred cannabis policy; although often cast as a contest between legalisation of cannabis or full prohibition the actual policy choices are not so black and white. This study assessed societal preferences for different cannabis policies and multiple consequences.

Patients' valuation of the prescribing nurse in primary care: a discrete choice experiment.

Background: Recently, primary care in the United Kingdom has undergone substantial changes in skill mix. Non-medical prescribing was introduced to improve patient access to medicines, make better use of different health practitioners' skills and increase patient choice. There is little evidence about value-based patient preferences for 'prescribing nurse' in a general practice setting.

Inclusiveness in the health economic evaluation space.

This paper presents an overview of Gavin Mooney's contributions to broadening the evaluative space in health economics. It outlines how Mooney's ideas have encouraged many, including ourselves, to expand the conventional QALYs/health gain approach and look more broadly at what it is that is of value from health services. We reflect on Mooney's contributions to debates around cost-effectiveness analysis, Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and cost-utility analysis as well as his contribution to the development and application of contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments in health economics.

Valuing the extended role of prescribing pharmacist in general practice: results from a discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: To quantify patients' preferences for new pharmacist independent prescribing services in general practice for managing common existing long-term conditions compared with usual medical prescribing.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment cross-sectional survey was conducted in five general practices in England (October-November 2009). Four service attributes reported on the length of consultation and aspects of patient-professional interaction.

A primary care specialist genetics service: a cluster-randomised factorial trial.

Background: GPs do not have the confidence to identify patients at increased genetic risk. A specialist primary care clinical genetics service could support GPs with referral and provide local clinics for their patients.

Aim: To test whether primary care genetic-led genetics education improves both non-cancer and cancer referral rates, and primary care-led genetics clinics improve the patient pathway.

Discrete choice experiments in health economics: a review of the literature.

Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) have become a commonly used instrument in health economics. This paper updates a review of published papers between 1990 and 2000 for the years 2001-2008. Based on this previous review, and a number of other key review papers, focus is given to three issues: experimental design; estimation procedures; and validity of responses.

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

Much 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=259).

Is fast access to general practice all that should matter? A discrete choice experiment of patients' preferences.

Objectives: To determine the relative importance of factors that influence patient choice in the booking of general practice appointments for two health problems.

Methods: Two discrete choice experiments incorporated into a survey of general practice patients and qualitative methods to support survey development.

Results: An overall response of 94% (1052/1123) was achieved.

The psychosocial outcomes of antenatal day care for three medical complications of pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial of 395 women.

Background: Although antenatal day care is becoming increasingly common, there is little evidence as to the psychosocial efficacy of this model of care.

Aim: We aimed to assess the broader psychosocial impact of antenatal day care compared with admission to hospital.

Methods: We carried out a randomised trial of 395 women, randomly assigned in a 2 : 1 ratio between day care and antenatal ward, stratified for major diagnostic categories (proteinuric hypertension, non-proteinuric hypertension and preterm premature rupture of membranes).

The introduction of integrated out-of-hours arrangements in England: a discrete choice experiment of public preferences for alternative models of care.

Objective: To establish which generic attributes of general practice out-of-hours health services are important to the public.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment postal survey conducted in three English general practitioner (GP) co-operatives. A total of 871 individuals aged 20-70 years registered with a GP.

Effect of introduction of integrated out of hours care in England: observational study.

Objectives: To quantify service integration achieved in the national exemplar programme for single call access to out of hours care through NHS Direct, and its effect on the wider health system.

Design: Observational before and after study of demand, activity, and trends in the use of other health services.

Participants: 34 general practice cooperatives with NHS Direct partners (exemplars): four were case exemplars; 10 control cooperatives.

EQ-5D versus SF-6D in an older, chronically Ill patient group.

Choosing between preference-based instruments of health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in particular situations is an important area for research. Even where instruments can be assumed to be measuring the same thing, they may not be interchangeable. The study presented investigates the extent to which EQ-5D and SF-6D instruments are interchangeable in an older, chronically ill patient group undergoing haemodialysis.

Preferences of patients for emergency services available during usual GP surgery hours: a discrete choice experiment.

Objective: A study was undertaken to investigate patients' strength of preferences for attributes or characteristics associated with delivery of emergency primary care services available during usual GP surgery hours and to investigate the trade-offs between attributes.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment was used to quantify patients' strength of preferences for several key attributes of usual-hours emergency primary care. The attributes were chosen to reflect the findings of previous research, current policy initiatives and discussions with local key stakeholders.

A clinical and cost evaluation of hemodialysis in renal satellite units in England and Wales.

Background: The prevalence rate of renal replacement therapy in the United Kingdom has increased significantly, particularly by long-term hemodialysis (HD) therapy in renal satellite units (RSUs). These are largely nurse-run units linked to main renal units (MRUs). We compared outcomes, processes of care, and costs in RSUs with those in MRUs.

Clinical, psychosocial, and economic effects of antenatal day care for three medical complications of pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial of 395 women.

Background: Day care is increasingly being used for complications of pregnancy, but there is little published evidence on its efficacy. We assessed the clinical, psychosocial, and economic effects of day care for three pregnancy complications in a randomised trial of day care versus standard care on an antenatal ward.

Methods: 395 women were randomly assigned day (263) or ward (132) care in a ratio of two to one, stratified for major diagnostic categories (non-proteinuric hypertension, proteinuric hypertension, and preterm premature rupture of membranes).

Using discrete choice experiments to value health care programmes: current practice and future research reflections.

There has been growing interest in discrete choice experiments (DCEs) in health economics over the last few years. This paper identifies and describes applications conducted during 1990-2000. From this basis some important areas for future research are reflected upon.

Comparison of apparent efficiency of haemodialysis satellite units in England and Wales using data envelopment analysis.

Objectives: To expand care for chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients throughout England and Wales by studying two aspects of service delivery that are important: to identify relative performance of haemodialysis satellite units (HDSUs), and understand the factors that influence the performance. As a first step toward these aspects, this work reports a study of apparent comparative efficiency in the delivery of HDSUs and demonstrates the potential of data envelopment analysis (DEA).

Methods: DEA was applied to data obtained from a national survey of the organizational structures and processes of delivering care at HDSUs in England and Wales.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine for Alzheimer's disease. A systematic review.

Objectives: Systematic review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: Sixteen electronic databases (including MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Embase) and bibliographies of related papers were searched for published/unpublished English language studies, and experts and pharmaceutical companies were consulted for additional information. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and economic studies were selected.