OBJECTIVES: Exploring physicians' and patients' preferences for stroke rehabilitation treatment during the pandemic and the differences between preferences.

METHODS: We designed an online questionnaire to survey participants in hospitals. The selected attributes included 'Acceptable hospital distances,' 'Acceptable hospital grades,' 'Duration of each treatment,' 'Main treatment methods,' 'Total acceptable length of treatment,' and 'Total cost of treatment(¥).' After data collection was completed, we built a multinomial logit model and a latent class model. We performed subgroup analysis to observe their treatment preferences and willingness to pay and to see whether the difference in preferences between them was statistically significant.

RESULTS: In the logit model, we found that people wanted 30 days of exercise therapy or physical therapy at a university-affiliated hospital that was close to home and inexpensive, with the shortest possible total treatment time. The highest preference weight was the level at which the total treatment cost was zero. In the subgroup analysis, we found that physicians and patients did not have the same concerns, with physicians focusing on 'Main treatment method' and 'Total cost of treatment(¥),' while patients were more concerned with 'Acceptable hospital distances' and 'Acceptable hospital grades,' and this difference between them was statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: These results confirmed what physicians and patients think, which could also give us an idea of the weight of their preferences for rehabilitation treatment. Physicians should take treatment preferences into account when treating patients, as this will help improve patients' compliance and further improve the effectiveness and safety of clinical care, which also help stroke patients to some extent and provide the scientific basis and sound advice to Chinese health authorities.