Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
A Systematic Review of Elicitation Methods for Distributional Preferences in Healthcare Regarding the Concentration
Laura A Trigg1, Aisha Moolla1, Colin Angus1
1School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England, UK.
Objectives:
In conventional quality-adjusted life-year maximization, each unit of health is valued equally. It overlooks distributional preferences, such as whether health improvements should be concentrated on a smaller number of individuals or dispersed across a larger population. It is plausible that these preferences follow an S-shaped pattern, in which marginal social value of health gains initially increases before diminishing after a threshold. This review aims to identify and evaluate the methods used in empirical studies to elicit S-shaped preferences.
Methods:
Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and EconLit in August 2024 and October 2025, with 1 round of citation chasing for 4 key articles. Studies were included if they elicited preferences on concentration and dispersion of health gains among otherwise identical individuals. Data synthesis was conducted narratively.
Results:
Thirteen studies published between 1994 and 2025 were included, collectively involving 6799 participants. All studies used a Person Trade-Off (PTO) approach, but 2 also used Time Trade-off. Five key methodological themes emerged: whether health gains should be measured in life-years or health-related quality of life, the threshold between concentration and dispersion, perspective, framing effects, and specification of the social welfare functions.
Conclusions:
This review highlights methodological challenges associated with eliciting preferences for concentration and dispersion. Although there is a consensus on the use of PTO, other heterogeneity such as pool size or perspective and sparse evidence on the threshold effect warrants further research.
More Related Videos
06:55Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Propensity Score using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
06:28E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
Analysis of Population Pharmacokinetic Data
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Traditional Level Of Health Care System
The preventive healthcare service includes tests for screening. Preventive health care services include identifying and reducing disease risk...
Introduction to Epidemiology