Determining patient preferences in a glaucoma service: A discrete choice experiment

Importance Patient perspectives are crucial in informing design of acceptable services. Background This study determined patient preferences in glaucoma care. Design A discrete choice experiment was used to evaluate the relative importance of out‐of‐pocket costs, waiting time, continuity of care, service location and expertise. Participants Ninety‐eight glaucoma suspects or glaucoma patients were recruited from one public and two private clinics in Sydney. Methods Twelve choice‐tasks were presented in random order and forced‐choice preferences were elicited. Choice data were analysed using a multinominal logit model (NLOGIT 4.0). Main Outcome Measures The relative importance and the likelihood of choosing services with each attribute were determined. Willingness‐to‐pay and willingness‐to‐wait were calculated. Analyses were stratified by whether the patient attended a public or private glaucoma clinic and other demographic features. Results Choice was influenced by four or five attributes: greater clinician expertise, the same clinician each visit, lower out‐of‐pocket costs and shorter wait times (all P