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Understanding parent preferences for NHS paediatric allergy services
Author(s) -
Diwakar Lavanya,
Cummins Carole,
Roberts Tracy
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/cea.13712
Subject(s) - medicine , family medicine , preference , willingness to pay , allergy , population , intervention (counseling) , pediatrics , nursing , environmental health , immunology , economics , microeconomics
Objectives To understand parent preferences for NHS paediatric allergy services. Design: A stated preference study (discrete choice experiment). Setting West Midlands, UK. Participants A sample of parents of children aged 16 years or younger recruited from the general population through a third party company approved by the University of Birmingham. Intervention An online questionnaire with 18 choice questions describing two hypothetical paediatric allergy specialist clinics described in terms of the clinician, information provision, additional facilities, waiting times and out of pocket expenses. Main outcome measures Preference and willingness to pay estimates for each of the specified attributes. Results Parents strongly preferred that their children be reviewed by consultants or specialist nurses formally trained in allergy compared with consultants with no formal allergy training [Willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for nurse specialist £150.9 (138.8‐163.2), trained allergy consultants £218.7 (205.7‐231.9), compared with consultants without formal training]. They were willing to wait longer to see trained practitioners. Parents also expressed a strong preference for improving online information regarding allergies [WTP for written information £18.4 (6.1‐30.6) and £72.6 for improved online information (59.9‐85.3), compared with verbal information]. Specialist clinics with additional dietician and eczema support were also preferred [WTP £29.9 (19.8‐40.1), compared with no additional support]. Conclusions Parents showed strong preference for formally trained practitioners in specialist allergy clinics. Access to improved online allergy information and additional facilities within allergy clinics were also preferred. These findings have implications for future commissioning of paediatric allergy services in the UK.