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Responses to standard gambles: are preferences ‘well constructed’?

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  • Rachel Baker
  • Angela Robinson

Abstract

Standard gamble (SG) is commonly used to elicit preferences in order to assess health related quality of life. There has been little qualitative research exploring how respondents answer such questions. An SG study was designed to elicit values for the health states associated with anti‐hypertensive medication, stroke and cardiovascular disease. This paper describes a qualitative study that was carried out alongside the SG exercise in order to document the thought processes respondents bring to bear in formulating their responses. Data were generated using ‘think aloud’ techniques and semi‐structured interviews. Values were generally well‐constructed: responses were thoroughly considered, and respondents made complex trade‐offs and arrived at a point of indifference. However, some respondents incorporated inappropriate information into their choices, redefining the hypothetical ‘Option B’ resulting in problems interpreting the probabilistic information. Consideration of non‐health factors was commonplace, in particular the impact of choices on others. We discuss these findings in terms of the use of qualitative methods in health economics and the wider discourse surrounding the theoretical underpinnings of health state valuation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Rachel Baker & Angela Robinson, 2004. "Responses to standard gambles: are preferences ‘well constructed’?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 37-48, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:13:y:2004:i:1:p:37-48
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.795
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    2. Giulia Greco & Paula Lorgelly & Inthira Yamabhai, 2016. "Outcomes in Economic Evaluations of Public Health Interventions in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: Health, Capabilities and Subjective Wellbeing," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(S1), pages 83-94, February.
    3. Neale Smith & Craig Mitton & Stuart Peacock, 2009. "Qualitative methodologies in health‐care priority setting research," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(10), pages 1163-1175, October.
    4. Goodwin, Elizabeth & Davey, Antoinette & Green, Colin & Hawton, Annie, 2021. "What drives differences in preferences for health states between patients and the public? A qualitative investigation of respondents’ thought processes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    5. McTaggart-Cowan, Helen & Tsuchiya, Aki & O'Cathain, Alicia & Brazier, John, 2011. "Understanding the effect of disease adaptation information on general population values for hypothetical health states," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1904-1912, June.
    6. Mandy Ryan & Verity Watson & Vikki Entwistle, 2009. "Rationalising the ‘irrational’: a think aloud study of discrete choice experiment responses," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(3), pages 321-336, March.
    7. David J. Mott & Iain Leslie & Koonal Shah & Jennifer Rowell & Nicolas Scheuer, 2021. "Impact of Including Carer Information in Time Trade-Off Tasks: Results from a Pilot Study," PharmacoEconomics - Open, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 665-675, December.
    8. Balmford, Ben & Bateman, Ian J. & Bolt, Katherine & Day, Brett & Ferrini, Silvia, 2019. "The value of statistical life for adults and children: Comparisons of the contingent valuation and chained approaches," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 68-84.
    9. Karimi, M. & Brazier, J. & Paisley, S., 2017. "How do individuals value health states? A qualitative investigation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 80-88.
    10. Daniel M. Hausman, 2010. "Valuing health: a new proposal," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(3), pages 280-296, March.
    11. Milad Karimi & John Brazier, 2016. "Health, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Quality of Life: What is the Difference?," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 34(7), pages 645-649, July.
    12. Sylvie M. C. van Osch & Anne M. Stiggelbout, 2008. "The construction of standard gamble utilities," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(1), pages 31-40, January.
    13. Groot, Wim & van den Brink, Henriette Maassen, 2007. "Optimism, pessimism and the compensating income variation of cardiovascular disease: A two-tiered quality of life stochastic frontier model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1479-1489, October.

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