Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Patient preferences require well-defined methods to understand benefit-risk trade-offs. While stated and revealed preferences often align, there are situations where this assumption is violated. A preference elicitation instrument is being developed to collect data that would inform the congruity between stated and revealed preference-based benefit-risk assessment of antipsychotics for depression/bipolar disorders. To ensure the preference elicitation instrument is well-designed and content valid, we sought to conduct qualitative pilot interviews to obtain subjects’ input on the appropriateness of the instrument.
METHODS: We performed cognitive debriefing interviews to pretest the instrument and collect input on the importance and relevance of selected attributes related to risks of antipsychotics and severity levels, as well as comprehensiveness and clarity of the preference elicitation instrument. Adults aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder and reside in the United States were eligible to participate. Subjects were excluded if they had psychotic features or were living in an institutional setting at the time of the interview. Participants completed an informed consent form and were interviewed for approximately 60 minutes via a secure virtual platform. The sessions were recorded, with permission from the participant, and the transcripts from the recordings were reviewed thematically.
RESULTS: A total of 11 adults with depression and/or bipolar disorder participated in the interviews; seven females (64%) and four males (36%) with a mean age of 46 years, and mostly non-Hispanic whites (82%). All attributes (diabetes, weight gain, high cholesterol, suicidal ideation, aggression, and hospitalizations) were endorsed by the participants as relevant experiences. Findings from the interviews suggest that changes to the severity levels of weight gain (to make it more realistic) and language modifications (to ensure patient-friendly languages are used throughout the instrument) are warranted.
CONCLUSIONS: Data from the qualitative interviews will be used to modify the preference elicitation instrument, prior to launch.