Patient Preferences in Diagnostic Imaging: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Health Services Research
• Decision Science

Background:

• Increasingly complex decisions in diagnostic imaging necessitate understanding patient preferences.
• Patient-centered care requires incorporating patient values into imaging decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review quantitative patient preference studies in diagnostic imaging.
• To characterize the literature and assess the quality of evidence in this field.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of Pubmed, Embase, EconLit, and CINAHL (Jan 2000-June 2022).
• Extracted study characteristics: preference elicitation method, disease focus, sample size.
• Assessed study quality using the PREFS checklist.

Main Results:

• 54 articles were included, with a surge in publications after 2016.
• Conjoint analysis/discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation were common preference elicitation methods.
• Cancer screening was the most frequent scenario; computed tomography was the most studied modality.

Conclusions:

• A diverse range of quantitative methods are employed to understand patient preferences in diagnostic imaging.
• While studies on screening are abundant, there's a knowledge gap for imaging in disease characterization and management.