IngentaConnect Preferences for self-care or professional advice for minor illnes...

Abstract:

Aim:

To determine the relative importance of factors that influence decision making in the management of minor illness, and how people trade between these factors.

Design of study:

Discrete choice experiment.

Setting:

Scottish electoral roll.

Method:

Six hundred and fifty-two responders of a previous national survey were invited to complete a discrete choice experiment questionnaire. This was used to measure relative preferences for managing symptoms of minor illness often associated with analgesic use. Three attributes were identified as important to participants: type of management, availability, and cost of managing symptoms. Trade-offs between these attributes were examined.

Results:

A 57% response rate was achieved (51% valid response rate). People preferred to manage symptoms by self-care and were willing to pay almost £23 to do so. Community pharmacy was the preferred source of advice. Responders preferred less waiting time and paying less money when managing symptoms, and were willing to trade between factors. A less preferred type of management became more attractive when waiting times and cost were reduced.

Conclusion:

Findings suggest that self-care is the preferred method of managing symptoms of minor illness. When developing services to support self-care, policy makers should invest in services that reduce waiting times and incur least cost to users.

Keywords: DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENT; MINOR ILLNESS; SELF CARE

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of General Practice, University of Aberdeen 2: Professor of health economics, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen 3: Professor of primary care (pharmacy), Department of General Practice, University of Aberdeen 4: Grampian professor of primary care, Department of General Practice, University of Aberdeen

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Preferences for self-care or professional advice for minor illness: a discrete choice experiment