Abstract
Objective
To demonstrate the application of conjoint analysis (CA) for eliciting the views of health service users.
Methods
A CA study was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial evaluating the introduction of a patient health card (PHC). The PHC was evaluated with respect to three other aspects of general practice: number of days between making a non‐urgent appointment and seeing a doctor; waiting time in reception between the time of the appointment and seeing a doctor; and whether the patient is usually seen by the doctor of their choice. A postal questionnaire was sent to 100 individuals from a general practice in Inverurie, Scotland.
Results
Seventy‐five individuals returned the questionnaire, of whom 51 answered the CA section. The PHC was the least important of the attributes considered. The number of days between making a non‐urgent appointment and seeing a doctor was considered to be the most important. A 1‐day reduction in the number of days to appointment was four and a half times more important than having a PHC; a 1‐minute reduction in waiting time in the reception area was three and a half times more important than having a PHC; and seeing a doctor of choice was over three times more important than having a PHC. Satisfaction or utility scores for different ways of providing a general practice service also indicated that priority should be given to reducing waiting time to see a doctor or reducing waiting time in reception.
Conclusions
While the PHC is a significant and positive predictor of satisfaction in general practice, it is less important than the other three attributes considered. More generally, CA appears to be a potentially useful instrument for eliciting the views of health service users.
Keywords: conjoint analysis, consumer preferences, patient health card, primary care