Table 3.

Studies assessing preference for treatment attributes or treatment outcomes

Citation	Preference assessment method	Preference content	Respondent (N)	Key results
Matza et al56	SG utility interviews	Parents of children with ADHD indicated preferences among 11 hypothetical health states that contained variations of the following five domains: ADHD symptom profile (mild, moderate, and severe symptoms), typical ADHD behaviors, impact on school functioning, impact on family functioning, and type of treatment with corresponding side effect profiles (stimulant, nonstimulant, and no treatment)	Parents of children (mean age of 10.2 years) diagnosed with ADHD (N = 43)	When both treatments were associated with an adequate response and tolerable side effects, parents significantly preferred the nonstimulant health state over the stimulant health state (t = 2.3, P = 0.03). When either the treatment response was inadequate or the side effects were intolerable, there were no significant differences in preferences for the stimulant and nonstimulant health states
Muhlbacher et al55	DCE and questionnaire	Parents’ preferences of therapy characteristics were evaluated using a DCE and a 23-item questionnaire assessing importance of ADHD-therapy characteristics (including duration of effect, impact on school performance, and dosing options). The following therapy characteristics were included in the DCE: duration of treatment effect (long vs short), side effects (weight loss vs none), dosage form (always the same vs variable/combinable), discretion (intake of drug obvious vs not obvious), emotional state (mood swings vs none), social situation (problems with friends, hobbies vs no problems)	Mothers and fathers of adolescents (mean age 15 years) with ADHD (N = 219)	Results from the 23-item questionnaire found the following therapy characteristics to have the greatest relevance to parents: ‘improving the child’s emotional state’, ‘little or no addictive potential’, and ‘improved ability to concentrate’. Results of the DCE found the following characteristics to influence the selection of treatment: ‘enabling social contacts’ and ‘emotional state: no mood swings’ (relative importance 40%). ‘Duration of effect: long (all day)’ was also desirable (relative importance 18%), as were the characteristics of ‘discretion’, ‘dosage’, and ‘side effects’
Secnik et al57	SG utility Interviews	Parents indicated preferences among 14 hypothetical health states, which described ADHD-related characteristics that varied according to treatment option (untreated ADHD, ADHD treated with a nonstimulant, immediate-release stimulant, or extended-release stimulant) and the nature of response (responder or nonresponder, with or without side effects)	Parents of children (mean age of 12.6 years) with ADHD (N = 83)	Generally, nonstimulant health states were preferred over otherwise identical stimulant health states
Stockl et al58	Survey mailing of a 30-item questionnaire	A survey was mailed to 1000 physicians who had prescribed stimulant medications to children and adolescents. The following preference-related questions asked clinicians to indicate their level of agreement with the following statements: Question 17: ‘If available and with a FDA indication for treating ADHD in children or adolescents, I would prefer prescribing a medication that is not a stimulant versus a stimulant’. Question 18: ‘If available and with a FDA indication for treating ADHD in children or adolescents, I would prefer prescribing a noncontrolled medication that does not have evidence of abuse potential versus one that is controlled [and has] evidence of abuse potential’	Physicians treating children and adolescents with ADHD (N = 365)	38% of physicians strongly agreed or agreed that they would prefer prescribing a nonstimulant instead of a stimulant if a nonstimulant with an FDA indication were available. 58% of physicians strongly agreed or agreed that they would prefer prescribing a noncontrolled medication that does not have evidence of abuse potential versus one that is controlled and has evidence of abuse potential

Abbreviations: SG, standard gamble; ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; DCE, discrete choice experiment; FDA, Food and Drug Administration.