Analysing public preferences for cancer screening programmes

Economic evaluations generally fail to incorporate elements of intangible c osts and benefits, such as anxiety and discomfort associated with the scree ning test and diagnostic test, as well as the magnitude of utility associat ed with a reduction in the risk of dying from cancer. In the present analys is, 750 respondents were inter-viewed and asked to rank, according to prior ity, a number of alternative screening programme set-ups. Focus was on colo rectal cancer screening and breast cancer screening. The alternative progra mmes varied with respect to number of tests performed, risk reduction obtai ned, probability of a false positive outcome and extent of co-payment. Stat ed preferences were analysed using discrete ranking modelling and the relat ive weighting of the programme attributes identified. Applying discrete cho ice methods to elicit preferences within this area of health care seems jus tified by the face validity of the results. The signs of the coefficients a re in accordance with a priori hypotheses. This paper suggests that large-s cale surveys focusing on individuals' preferences for cancer screening prog rammes may contribute significantly to the quality of economic evaluations within this field of health care. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd .