title: Patient preferences for characteristics differentiating ovarian stimulation treatments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known concerning patient preferences for IVF treatments. The objective of this study was to elicit patient preferences for characteristics differentiating ovarian stimulation treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women undergoing IVF were recruited from six clinics in Sweden between May 2010 and December 2010. Included patients completed a study questionnaire consisting of one contingent valuation (CV) question (with six different bids) and 16 conjoint analysis (CA) questions formulated as discrete choices between two hypothetical ovarian stimulation treatments (defined in terms of manufacturing method, method of administration, time required for administration, dose variability and hypothetical price). Patient preferences were derived using multinomial logit modelling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final study population consisted of 294 women (mean age of 35). Respondents were willing to pay €360 [95% confidence interval (CI): €340-€390] to receive FSH derived from DNA technology instead of highly purified extract from urine from post-menopausal women, €300 (95% CI: €280-€320) to administer the FSH using a prefilled injection pen instead of a conventional syringe, €30 (95% CI: €20-€40) per saved minute required for administration and €530 (95% CI: €500-€570) to reduce the dose variability from 10-20% to 1-2% (P< 0.001 for all estimates). The result from the CV was similar to the CA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women undergoing IVF place significant value on characteristics differentiating ovarian stimulation treatments. Product-specific aspects should be taken into account by decision-makers when discriminating between commercial gonadotrophins in clinical practice to align health-care decision-making with patient preferences and potentially improve the effectiveness of IVF interventions through enhanced patient satisfaction and treatment compliance. Preferences for treatment characteristics should also be considered in evaluations of ovarian stimulation products to capture their true value from a patient perspective.
authors.affiliation: OptumInsight, Stockholm,  Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Landfeldt
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jablonowska
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Norlander
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Persdotter-Eberg
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thurin-Kjellberg
authors.forename: Margaretha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wramsby
authors.forename: Oskar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods*; D057240:Patient Preference; D013548:Sweden