Discrete choice experiment (DCE)

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) is a quantitative method used in healthcare to elicit preferences without directly asking participants (e.g. patients, payers) to state their preferred options. Participants are presented with a series of hypothetical “choice tasks.” Each task typically features two or three competing scenarios or “alternatives.” Each alternative is described by a set of common “attributes” (e.g. efficacy, side effects, cost, mode of administration), and each attribute varies across several “levels” (specific values or descriptions of that attribute). Participants are instructed to select their single most preferred alternative from each choice set. DCE surveys typically include 5 to 10 choice tasks, and preferences are revealed withour directly asking participants to state their preferred level for each individual attribute. For example, a pharmaceutical company might be interested in determining patient preferences for a painkiller provided either as a tablet or liquid formulation. Attributes (and levels) inclued in a DCE could include “time for painkiller to work” (30 minutes), “convenience” (inconvenient, convenient), and “number of repeat doses required” (0, 1 to 2, ≥3). This methodology has diverse applications in healthcare evaluation, including understanding patient preferences for diagnostic pathways, the configuration of clinical services, or different routes of administration for medicines.