Desired Attributes of Outpatient Services from the Perspective of patients: Using a Choice- Based Conjoint Analysis Technique

Patients'' perception of various aspects of health services could provide useful insights to improve health services. In the present study the technique of Choice- Based Conjoint Analysis (CBCA) was used to elicit patients’ views on desired attributes of outpatient services. Five attributes related to outpatient services provided by hospital clinics، were surveyed. They included appointment making، waiting time، forming medical records، and presence of medical students and other patients in the examination room. There were 200 patients selected through convenient sampling method. Data were gathered via structured interviews and analyzed by logit regression model. The three main attributes preferred by respondents were: no presence of other patients (57%)، appointment making (17%)، and forming medical records (15%). The scenario with maximum utility consisted of the following: telephone appointments، having medical records، no presence of medical students and other patients in the examination room، and the maximum waiting time of half an hour. The sequence of the priorities preferred by the outpatients was found to be firstly، examination by consultants in private، secondly، telephone appointments، and finally، formation of medical records. CBCA could be a potentially useful technique for eliciting the preferences of health service users.