OBJECTIVES:

In prior published work, we defined a core set of disease-agnostic patient-informed value elements and then tailored the set to individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by eliciting the elements most important to them in making decisions to manage their condition. With patient input, we developed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) instrument from the key attributes previously identified. The objective of this study was to pilot test the DCE.

METHODS:

Individuals with COPD were recruited on ResearchMatch and invited to book a screening interview. Eligibility was confirmed via phone (June 28-July 13, 2022) until 30 individuals were enrolled. Eligible individuals received an anonymous link to a web-based questionnaire and were emailed a gift card upon completion. The questionnaire included eleven demographic-related questions, the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), nine experimentally-derived choice tasks (and two hold-out tasks), and six questions to test the relevance of the attributes included in the DCE. Demographic and clinical data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS:

Average duration for completing the questionnaire was 17.5 minutes. Mean age was 66.5 years (SD=9.6), 50% were female (n=15) and 87% were White (n=26). Participants reported a mean of 12 years since COPD diagnosis and a mean CAT score of 20 (SD=7). When making treatment-related decisions, participants (>80%) found all attributes to be important, except number of times in day medications taken (60%). The attributes found most important were doctor-response time (97%) and symptoms improvement (93%). Participants reported an average monthly willingness to pay of $79 (SD=$57).

CONCLUSIONS:

The study validated the importance of key attributes that underpin benefit-risk trade-offs for patients with COPD. This patient-driven stated preferences instrument will allow for incorporation of the patients’ voice in economic evaluations. Future work will evaluate the performance of the DCE for use in a larger sample.