Table 1.

DCE Attributes and Attribute Levels

Attribute	Explanation	Levels
Types of service	Different types of services chosen by patients when they are registered. Its levels come from the literature.30	·General service ·Specialized service
Treatment options	Different treatment options, which inspired by the current primary healthcare policies9 and specialists’ views.	·Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) ·Modern Medicine(MM) ·Integrated TCM and MM
OOP cost per visit (CNY)	The amount patients pay per visit that will not be reimbursed by medical insurance. Its levels were constructed based on the statistical data31 and experts’ focus group discussions.	·100 CNY (14 USD) ·200 CNY (28 USD) ·300 CNY (42 USD)
Distance to practice	Distance to practice was a proxy by using the time required to go to the medical institution from home (one-way travel).32 Its levels were proposed based on the interviews with the representative respondents.	·<30 mins ·≥30 mins
Seniority of medical practitioner	The medical practitioner was classified by the medical practitioner’s experience and skill.23,33 Its levels were based on the current types of outpatient registration services in China.34,35	·Senior medical practitioner ·Junior medical practitioner

Note: The US dollar to Chinese Yuan Renminbi exchange rate in 2018 was 1 USD=6.62 CNY.³⁶