Course Level: Beginner
Course Limit: 40
Format Requirements: This introductory workshop will use both lectures and hands-on exercises. It will start with an overview of the various stated-preferences methods, how they stem from theory and the variety of applications they have been used for in health. Following a simple hands on workshop, focus will be places on the recent good research practice guidelines for stated-preference methods and an interactive discussion on the art and science of applying stated-preference methods to topics relevant to the valuation of health and healthcare. As an introductory workshop, it is intended for researchers who have little to moderate knowledge about stated-preferences methods who aim to understand more about these methods and their possible application. Some basic knowledge of survey methods, patient-reported outcomes, and statistical analysis (including linear regression) would be advantageous.
Background: Given efforts to provide patient-centered care and to conduct patent-centered outcomes research, there is increased effort to understand the preferences and priorities of patients and other stakeholders in medicine. Stated-preference methods are one approach to identify what patients and stakeholder value most and what tradeoffs they are willing to make. Grounded in theories of choice from the disciplines of economics and psychology, stated-preference methods such as conjoint analysis, discrete-choice experiments, contingent valuation and best-worst scaling provide research with approach not only to document what respondents value, by how subgroups have different values. The successful implementation of stated-preference methods, however, is both an art and a science, but can be guided by recent effort to document good research practices for their application specifically to the study of health and health care.
Description and Objectives: This workshop will provide participants with a basic overview of the variety of stated-preferences methods that can be used to measure the preferences of patient and other stakeholders in medicine. The course will build upon the current good research practices for stated-preferences methods (e.g. Bridges et al, 2011), but will also incorporate hands-on activities and several case studies highlighting interesting applications of stated-preferences methods in healthcare.
By the end of this course participants will:
- Have a greater understanding of the variety of stated-preferences methods that can be used to measure the preference and priorities;
- Have a deeper awareness of the advantages of stated-preferences methods over more traditional approaches to measure values (e.g. Likert-type scales) and utilities (e.g. standard gamble);
- Develop some basic skills to indentify when a particular stated-preference method is appropriate for a particular research question and know where to find appropriate guidance to apply the methods successfully.