Many clinical trials study interventions that require patients to make preference sensitive decisions about using them, even if the proposed study outcomes are successfully met. Stem cell transplants in scleroderma are an example: trials are being designed to study the potential for life extension, but the procedure carries risks of mortality and toxicity, and potentially the need to travel to a hospital that offers the treatment. In a study with patients and clinicians as research partners, we sought to develop a rigorous and systematic methodology to optimize the design of clinical studies by incorporating patient priorities. This presentation describes the development of a discrete choice experiment to elicit patient preferences for stem cell transplant in scleroderma and preliminary results.
About the speaker
Mark Harrison is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia and a Scientist at the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences at St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Mark leads a health economics program within the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) group with an interest in patient-physician decision-making, understanding the role of preferences in treatment decisions, and evaluating the impact of policy interventions on patient and health care system outcomes.