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Willingness to pay: a method for measuring preferences for maternity care?
C Donaldson1, V Hundley, T Mapp
1Health Economics Research Unit, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)
|April 16, 1998
Summary
Willingness to pay can measure benefits of intrapartum care, showing stronger preferences for consultant-led wards, not linked to income. Flexible services should consider women's wishes.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Maternal Health Services Research
Background:
- Assessing the economic benefits of intrapartum care is crucial for service provision.
- Willingness to pay (WTP) is a potential economic measure for valuing healthcare benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of using "willingness to pay" as a metric for the benefits associated with different intrapartum care options.
- To explore women's preferences and their WTP for midwife-managed versus consultant-led intrapartum care.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 150 pregnant women at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
- Participants indicated their preferred intrapartum care option and maximum WTP.
- Demographic and clinical data were collected for analysis.
Main Results:
- 55% of women preferred midwife-managed units.
- Stronger preferences, indicated by higher WTP, were observed in the minority favoring consultant-led care.
- WTP was not correlated with women's income or social class.
Conclusions:
- Willingness to pay offers insights beyond health gains, valuing diverse aspects of care.
- Findings suggest a flexible intrapartum care service accommodating minority preferences may be warranted if cost-effective.
- WTP analysis revealed preferences were independent of ability to pay, informing resource allocation decisions.