Health care decisionmaking should prioritize patient preferences, yet often third parties make decisions for patients. Physicians, payers, and caregivers may all play a role in decisionmaking. The IMI PREFER initiative aims to guide the incorporation of patient preferences into decisions. Their comprehensive report offers recommendations for integrating patient preferences effectively.
Key Takeaways:
When to Incorporate Patient Preferences:
Cases Where Patient Preferences are Less Useful:
If endpoints and tradeoffs are well-known with few uncertainties, patient preference surveys may have less value.
Steps for Conducting Patient Preference Studies:
Preference Exploration and Methodologies:
Qualitative methods are crucial for exploring patient perspectives early in the medical product lifecycle.
Quantifying Preferences:
Different methods for quantifying preferences exist, offering a way to evaluate and understand patient preferences.
For more detailed information, refer to the recommendations report here.
