ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Health Serv.
Sec. Patient Centered Health Systems
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frhs.2025.1648726
This article is part of the Research TopicChallenges, Opportunities & Outcomes of Patient-Oriented Research in Learning Health SystemsView all 5 articles
Preferences of follow-up services patients with critically ill patients: Attributes development for a discrete choice experiment
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- 2Guizhou Nursing Vocational College, Guiyang, China
- 3Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- 4The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
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Background Adherence to follow-up services among intensive care unit (ICU) discharge patients is often low, contributing to poor prognosis. Understanding these patients' needs and preferences is essential for designing effective follow-up programs. The discrete choice experiment (DCE) offers a structured appro ach to quantifying such preferences, with the selection of attributes and lev els being a critical step. Objective To describe the systematic process used to identify, refine, and finalize attr ibutes and levels for a DCE on post-discharge follow-up care for ICU pati ents. Methods A mixed-methods approach was applied in three phases: (1) an extensive li terature review to generate an initial pool of attributes and levels; (2) 16 i n-depth interviews with former ICU patients to explore their experiences, n eeds, and expectations for follow-up care; (3)an expert panel meeting was convened to refine and validate these attributes and (4) Four focus groups were formed, each consisting of ICU survivors to clarify terminology, ens ure patient-centered relevance, and prioritize attributes through a voting-ba sed ranking process. Results Seven key attributes were finalized, each with two to four levels: follow-up content, route, frequency, personnel, mode, duration, and cost. These attri butes reflect not only the logistical aspects of follow-up care but also the c omponents most valued by patients for improving recovery and long-term health outcomes. Conclusions This mixed-methods strategy effectively integrated evidence, patient experie nce, and group consensus to generate attributes and levels that are both cl inically relevant and patient-centered. The approach may serve as a model for other studies seeking to design DCEs in healthcare settings, ensuring t hat the attributes examined align closely with the priorities of the target p opulation.
Keywords: follow-up content, Route, Frequency, Personnel, mode, duration, cost
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 22 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dong, jiang, You, Yuan, 李, luo and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
zhixia jiang, Guizhou Nursing Vocational College, Guiyang, China
Linlin You, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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