title: What Influences Patients' Decisions When Choosing a Health Care Provider? Measuring Preferences of Patients with Knee Arthrosis, Chronic Depression, or Alzheimer's Disease, Using Discrete Choice Experiments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate what influences patients' health care decisions and what the implications are for the provision of information on the quality of health care providers to patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dutch patient samples between November 2006 and February 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Discrete choice experiments were conducted in three patient groups to explore what influences choice for health care providers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from 616 patients with knee arthrosis, 368 patients with chronic depression, and 421 representatives of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three patients groups chose health care providers on a different basis. The most valued attributes were effectiveness and safety (knee arthrosis); continuity of care and relationship with the therapist (chronic depression); and expertise (Alzheimer's disease). Preferences differed between subgroups, mainly in relation to patients' choice profiles, severity of disease, and some background characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that there is substantial room for (quality) information about health care providers in patients' decision processes. This information should be tailor-made, targeting specific patient segments, because different actors and factors play a part in their search and selection process.
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, IQ Healthcare, HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stef
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groenewoud
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N Job A
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Van Exel
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Institute for Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus University Rotterdam (iBMG/iMTA), Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bobinac
authors.affiliation: KPMG LLP, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huijsman
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elly A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stolk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003657:Decision Making; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000523:psychology*; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000523:psychology*; D061214:Patient Safety; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014850:Waiting Lists
keywords: Quality indicators; discrete choice experiment; health services research; patient preferences; quality assurance