title: Preferences for a third-trimester ultrasound scan in a low-risk obstetric population: a discrete choice experiment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Establish maternal preferences for a third-trimester ultrasound scan in a healthy, low-risk pregnant population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study incorporating a discrete choice experiment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A large, urban maternity hospital in Northern Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-six women in their second trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A discrete choice experiment was designed to elicit preferences for four attributes of a third-trimester ultrasound scan: health-care professional conducting the scan, detection rate for abnormal foetal growth, provision of non-medical information, cost. Additional data collected included age, marital status, socio-economic status, obstetric history, pregnancy-specific stress levels, perceived health and whether pregnancy was planned. Analysis was undertaken using a mixed logit model with interaction effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women's preferences for, and trade-offs between, the attributes of a hypothetical scan and indirect willingness-to-pay estimates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women had significant positive preference for higher rate of detection, lower cost and provision of non-medical information, with no significant value placed on scan operator. Interaction effects revealed subgroups that valued the scan most: women experiencing their first pregnancy, women reporting higher levels of stress, an adverse obstetric history and older women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women were able to trade on aspects of care and place relative importance on clinical, non-clinical outcomes and processes of service delivery, thus highlighting the potential of using health utilities in the development of services from a clinical, economic and social perspective. Specifically, maternal preferences exhibited provide valuable information for designing a randomized trial of effectiveness and insight for clinical and policy decision makers to inform woman-centred care.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Lynn
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Support Centre, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Grainne E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Crealey
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Fiona A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Alderdice
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Practice Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: McElnay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D009774:Obstetrics; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000191:economics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012307:Risk Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000191:economics
keywords: discrete choice experiment; pregnancy; ultrasound scan; women's preferences