What Influences Patients' Decisions When Choosing a Health Care Provider? Measuring Preferences of Patients with Knee Arthrosis, Chronic Depression, or Alzheimer's Disease, Using Discrete Choice Experiments.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate what influences patients' health care decisions and what the implications are for the provision of information on the quality of health care providers to patients. DATA SOURCES/STUDY
SETTING: Dutch patient samples between November 2006 and February 2007. STUDY
DESIGN: Discrete choice experiments were conducted in three patient groups to explore what influences choice for health care providers. DATA COLLECTION: Data were obtained from 616 patients with knee arthrosis, 368 patients with chronic depression, and 421 representatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease. PRINCIPAL
FINDINGS: The three patients groups chose health care providers on a different basis. The most valued attributes were effectiveness and safety (knee arthrosis); continuity of care and relationship with the therapist (chronic depression); and expertise (Alzheimer's disease). Preferences differed between subgroups, mainly in relation to patients' choice profiles, severity of disease, and some background characteristics.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that there is substantial room for (quality) information about health care providers in patients' decision processes. This information should be tailor-made, targeting specific patient segments, because different actors and factors play a part in their search and selection process. © Health Research and Educational Trust.