Using a Discrete-Choice Experiment to Estimate the Preferences of Clinical Practitioners for a Novel Non-invasive Device for Diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition that causes significant morbidity and reduced life expectancy, and can have a serious economic impact. It is often underdiagnosed in primary care, partially due to the fact that the current National Institute for Health Care and Excellence-recommended ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) test for PAD in primary care is time-consuming and is technically challenging to perform. The availability of a simple, reliable diagnostic test has the potential to facilitate early PAD identification and treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the preferences of primary care practitioners relating to the key characteristics for a new medical device for PAD detection. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 116 UK primary care setting clinicians involved in the diagnosis and/or management of PAD, comprising of doctors (n = 95), nurses (n = 17), health care assistants (n = 1) and other unspecified clinicians (n = 3). OUTCOMES: Relative weights derived from a discrete choice experiment (DCE), by primary care practitioners regarding six key characteristics of the new device: device display, data integration, training, power supply, portability of the device, and cost. RESULTS: Five characteristics were important for preferences. Practitioners favoured manual, as opposed to automated, integration of test results into patient records. Practitioners strongly preferred disposable batteries as the power supply for the device compared with other alternatives. CONCLUSIONS: This novel study has successfully utilised a DCE to elicit primary care practitioner's preferences for the development of the new device. The preferences can help inform device design and therefore facilitate/help to maximise its uptake and buy-in from the outset.