Preference between medical outcomes and travel times: an analysis of liver transplantation

There is evidence of a volume outcome relationship for liver transplantation. In Germany, there is a minimum volume threshold of 20 transplantations per year for each center. Thresholds potentially lead to centralization of the healthcare supply, generating longer travel times.

This study assessed whether patients are willing to travel longer times to transplantation centers for better outcomes (lower hospital mortality and higher 3-year survival) and identified patient characteristics influencing their choices.

Participants were recruited in hospitals and via random samples at registration offices. Discrete choice experiments were used to identify trade-offs in their choices between local and regional centers. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to measure patients' preferences and quantify potentially influencing characteristics.

Overall, 82.22% (in-hospital mortality) and 84.44% (3-year survival) of the participants opted to accept a longer travel time in order to receive a liver transplantation with better outcomes.

Most participants were willing to trade shorter travel times for lower mortality risks and higher 3-year survival in cases of liver transplantation.