Discrete Choice Experiments for Health Policy : past, present, and future

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation was to contribute to the growing field of health-related stated-preference research by addressing research questions that relate to the past, the present and the future of the DCE methodology. The dissertation includes a review of health-related DCEs published between 2009 and 2012 for which practices and trends, including progress in methodology, were discussed. It further includes three state of the art DCE applications on: 1) pandemic vaccination programs (ECOM project), 2) health insurance, and 3) personal health records. In addition, the dissertation includes three methodological studies in which: 1) the implications of the use of different unforced choice formats were explored, 2) it was explored if and how the mode of DCE administration (pen-and-paper or online) affects the outcomes of a DCE, and 3) structured interviews showed how respondents complete the choice sets of a DCE. The dissertation concludes with a number of recommendations for health policy and recommendations for DCE researchers