What do patients and dermatologists prefer regarding low-risk basal cell carcinoma follow-up care? A discrete choice experiment.

Background: Follow-up after low-risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is being provided more frequently than recommended by guidelines. To design an acceptable strategy to successfully reduce this 'low-value' care, it is important to obtain insights into the preferences of patients and dermatologists.

Objective: To determine the preferences and needs of patients and dermatologists to reduce low-risk BCC follow-up care, and the trade-offs they are willing to make.

Methods: A questionnaire including a discrete choice experiment was created, containing attributes regarding amount of follow-up, continuity of care, method of providing addition information, type of healthcare provider, duration of follow-up visits and skin examination. In total, 371 BCC patients and all Dutch dermatologists and dermatology residents (n = 620) were invited to complete the questionnaire. A panel latent class model was used for analysis.

Results: Eighty-four dermatologists and 266 BCC patients (21% and 72% response rates respectively) completed the discrete choice experiment. If the post-treatment visit was performed by the same person as treatment provider and a hand-out was provided to patients containing personalised information, the acceptance of having no additional follow-up visits (i.e. following the guidelines) would increase from 55% to 77% by patients. Female patients and older dermatologists, however, are less willing to accept the guidelines and prefer additional follow-up visits.

Limitations: The low response rate of dermatologists.

Conclusion: This discrete choice experiment revealed a feasible strategy to substantially reduce costs, while maintaining quality of care, based on the preferences and needs of BCC patients, which is supported by dermatologists.