title: Symptom-based outcome measures for asthma: the use of discrete choice methods to assess patient preferences.
abstract: This paper reports on an application of discrete choice modelling to the measurement of patient preferences over asthma symptoms. A sample of patients with moderate to severe asthma was asked to choose between a series of pairs of scenarios characterised by different combinations of asthma symptoms. Their responses were analysed using a random effects ordered probit model. The results implied that patients weighted some symptoms more highly than others. Discrete choice modelling proved to be a useful approach for developing preference based outcome measures, although the results show how, in contexts where preferences over health care outcomes based on symptoms or some measure of health status are involved, a conventional linear additive model may not always be suitable.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, University Medical Buildings, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland AB25 2ZD, UK. lmckenzie@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Osman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000145:classification*; D003662:Decision Theory; D017050:Episode of Care; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires