Conditions And Contextual Factors That Influence The Utility And Application Of Patient Preference Studies: A Study Combining Literature And Focus Groups

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify conditions and contextual factors that influence the utility and application of patient preference studies in decision making by Health Technology Assessment (H7A) bodies, regulators and industry, throughout the life cycle of medical products. In parallel, it was sought to identify the current applications of patient preferences in decision making. METHODS: The study design consisted of a literature review and focus groups. A systematic literature search was conducted in five scientific databases In addition, other publicly available documents were consulted including documents of national and international health agencies and patient-centred initiatives. Focus groups were designed to include HTA representatives, regulators, industry representatives, patients, patient representatives, physicians and academics from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Romania and Italy. NVivo was chosen to analyse the results. RESULTS: A total of 742 publications were retrieved and 85 were included. The literature revealed conditions and contextual factors affecting the utility of patient preference studies related to the organization, study design, conduct and use of results of patient preference studies. In study design, question framing for example was found to be an influencer of the utility of patient preferences studies. Evidence was found on the possible applications of patient preferences in decision making, but limited evidence was found on their actual inclusion in decision making. Patient preferences were mostly found to be used to identify outcomes relevant to patients and to weigh outcomes. Results of the focus groups (n=8) will also be presented at the ISPOR congress. CONCLUSIONS: Patient preferences can be incorporated in decision making through different applications. However, many conditions and contextual factors have to be taken into account when designing and conducting a patient preference study in order to retrieve valuable results that can be used in evaluations.