Skip to main content
Log in

Involving consumers in health care decision making

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Health Care Analysis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper considers ways of involving consumers in decisions regarding the allocation of scarce health service resources. Specifically, two levels of consumer participation are highlighted and discussed. These are: (1) at the level of deciding whether or not a particular service should be introduced or its scale changed; and (2) at the level of deciding how best to provide a service once it has been decided that the servicewill be provided. The limitations of the current methods of involving consumers are outlined and two alternative approaches discussed. These are willingness to pay and conjoint analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Secretaries of State for Health, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland (1989).Working for Patients, HMSO, London.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Secretaries of State for Health, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland (1989).Promoting Better Health, HMSO, London.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Secretary of State for Health (1991).The Health of the Nation, HMSO, London.

    Google Scholar 

  4. NHS Management Executive (1992).Local Voices. The Views of Local People in Purchasing for Health, NHSME, London.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Groves, T. (1993). Public disagrees with professionals over NHS rationing.British Medical Journal 306, 673.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bowling, A., Jacobson, B. and Southgate, L. (1993). Health service priorities: explorations in consultation of the public and health professionals on priority setting in an inner London health district.Social Science and Medicine 37, 851–857.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Donaldson, C. (1993).Theory and Practice of Willingness to Pay for Health Care. Discussion Paper 01/93, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

  8. Donaldson, C., Walker, A., Farrar, S. and Mapp, T. (1994).Community Values in Child Health Services: An Economic Approach. Report to Grampian Health Board, Health Economics Research Unit and Department of Public Health, University of Aberdeen.

  9. Olsen, J.A. and Donaldson, C. (1993).Willingness to Pay for Public Sector Health Care Programmes in Northern Norway. Discussion Paper 05/93, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

  10. Hall, J. and Dornan, M. (1988). What patients like about their medical care and how often they are asked: a meta-analysis of the satisfaction literature.Social Science and Medicine 22, 935–939.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Scottish Office (1992).The Patient's Charter: What Users Think 1992. HMSO, Edinburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Heyden, V. (1993). Never mind the quantity.Health Service Journal 103(5352), 21.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Cattin, P. and Wittink, D. (1982). Commercial use of conjoint analysis: a survey.Journal of Marketing 46, 44–53.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy (1988).22 (whole issue).

  15. Brunel University (1993).The Valuation of Changes in Quality in the Public Services. Report prepared for H.M. Treasury, HMSO, London.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Ryan, M. (1992).Stated Preference: A Method for Establishing the Nature of the Patient's Utility Function. Discussion Paper 14/92, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

  17. Ryan, M. and Farrar, S. (1994).Using Conjoint Analysis to Establish the Views of Users in the Provision of Orthodontics in Grampian. Discussion Paper 07/94, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

  18. Donaldson, C. (1994). Distributional issues in willingness to pay. Unpublished paper.

  19. Donaldson, C., Shackley, P., Abdalla, M., Miedzybrodzka, Z. and Semper, J. (1994).The Use of Willingness to Pay Alongside Randomised Trials. Discussion paper 01/94, Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen.

  20. Kind, P., Rosser, R. and Williams A. (1983). Valuation of quality of life: some psychometric evidence. In,Value of Life and Safety, ed. by M.W. Jones-Lee, North-Holland, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shackley, P., Ryan, M. Involving consumers in health care decision making. Health Care Anal 3, 196–204 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02197669

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02197669

Keywords

Navigation