Methodology to derive preference for health screening programmes using discrete choice experiments: a scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Public Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• User involvement in healthcare decision-making is crucial but designing community health screening programs remains a challenge.
• Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) are underutilized for non-cancer chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and liver disease.
• This review addresses the scarcity of knowledge on DCE applications in health screening for chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of current applications and methods of Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) in community health screening programs.
• To identify areas for improvement in the design and execution of DCEs for chronic disease screening.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of four electronic databases was conducted.
• Studies published between 2011 and 2021, in English, and involving human participants were included.
• Data were systematically extracted and summarized in a narrative review.

Main Results:

• Twenty-seven studies utilizing DCEs for cancer (26) and cardiovascular disease (1) screening were analyzed.
• The median quality score for the included studies was 9/13, with most studies (80%) having similar overall scores.
• Key findings include: two-thirds reported sample size calculations, half used online surveys, and over 75% involved the general public.

Conclusions:

• The review identified areas for improvement in current DCE practices for health screening.
• Recommendations include increased use of sample size calculations and qualitative methods.
• Enhanced explanation of experimental design, choice set generation, and analysis methods are crucial for future DCE studies.