Preference of Traditional Chinese Medicine Service Utilization Among Cancer Patients in China: A Discrete Choice...

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated potential benefits in cancer treatment, yet its relatively low utilization may limit the realization of these benefits. This study aimed to explore cancer patients' preferences for TCM services and assess how various service characteristics influence their utilization. A discrete choice experiment was conducted among 500 cancer patients aged 18-75 years. Each patient completed nine choice tasks, each involving two hypothetical TCM service alternatives characterized by five attributes: service institution, care provider, type of treatment, risk of side effects, and monthly cost. A mixed logit model was used to estimate patients' preferences, willingness to pay and predicted utilization. In total, 469 patients (93.8%) completed the questionnaire. All five attributes significantly influenced patients' preferences. Service institution had the greatest impact on TCM utilization (importance score, 47.59%), followed by care provider and type of treatment. Changing the service setting from a TCM clinic to a cancer hospital or a general hospital would increase the predicted utilization of TCM services by 87.60% and 69.20%, respectively. Gender, age, annual family income, cancer stage, and family history of cancer were also associated with TCM utilization. Cancer patients generally had positive attitudes toward TCM services. Service institution was the primary driver of TCM utilization, whereas monthly cost was the least important factor. These findings provide policymakers and healthcare professionals with valuable insights into the effective integration of TCM as an adjunct to cancer treatment, with the potential to improve patient care.