Patients' Value of Asthma Services in Australian Pharmacies: The Way Ahead for Asthma Care

Abstract

Objective. Long-term sustainability of health services requires an understanding of patients’ values and preferences. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients’ preferences as well as their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a community pharmacy-delivered specialized asthma service using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Methods. Patients with asthma in New South Wales, Australia, who had recently experienced a specialized asthma management service at their pharmacy were mailed DCE questionnaires. Patients were asked to choose between two hypothetical service models with varying attributes. Multinomial logit models estimated patients’ marginal WTP. Results. The study had a response rate of 47%. Patients greatly valued various aspects of the pharmacy-based specialized service and had marginal WTP values of AUD$18.00 for a private area, AUD$44.50 for lung function testing, AUD$9.18 for appointments with pharmacists, and AUD$22.80 for provision of comprehensive advice on asthma and its medications. The marginal WTP for the overall service was AUD$94.86. Conclusions. The findings of the study indicate that patients greatly value and are willing to pay for asthma services in pharmacies. The study results will help pharmacists and policy advisors in the development of individualized asthma services that patients will use, are willing to pay for, and thus are economically viable in the future.

• asthma
• community pharmacy
• discrete choice experiment
• patient preferences
• specialized service
• willingness-to-pay

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the PAMS pharmacists who distributed the questionnaires and the patients who completed them. Although the PAMS was funded by a grant from the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, this study was conducted independently.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.