Insights from triangulation of two purchase choice elicitation methods to predict social decision making in healthcare.
BACKGROUND
Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) and the Juster scale are accepted methods for the prediction of individual purchase probabilities. Nevertheless, these methods have seldom been applied to a social decision-making context.


OBJECTIVE
To gain an overview of social decisions for a decision-making population through data triangulation, these two methods were used to understand purchase probability in a social decision-making context.


METHODS
We report an exploratory social decision-making study of pharmaceutical subsidy in Australia. A DCE and selected Juster scale profiles were presented to current and past members of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and its Economic Subcommittee.


RESULTS
Across 66 observations derived from 11 respondents for 6 different pharmaceutical profiles, there was a small overall median difference of 0.024 in the predicted probability of public subsidy (p = 0.003), with the Juster scale predicting the higher likelihood. While consistency was observed at the extremes of the probability scale, the funding probability differed over the mid-range of profiles. There was larger variability in the DCE than Juster predictions within each individual respondent, suggesting the DCE is better able to discriminate between profiles. However, large variation was observed between individuals in the Juster scale but not DCE predictions.


CONCLUSIONS
It is important to use multiple methods to obtain a complete picture of the probability of purchase or public subsidy in a social decision-making context until further research can elaborate on our findings. This exploratory analysis supports the suggestion that the mixed logit model, which was used for the DCE analysis, may fail to adequately account for preference heterogeneity in some contexts.
School of Medicine, Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Logan Campus, Meadowbrook, QLD, Australia. j.whitty@griffith.edu.au
Jennifer A
JA
Whitty
Sharyn R
SR
Rundle-Thiele
Paul A
PA
Scuffham
D001315:Australia; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003625:Data Collection / Q000295:instrumentation; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005380:Financing, Government; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000191:economics*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000191:economics
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations