Health Economics Review最新文献

{"title":"The impact of annual price revision based on external reference pricing on medicines between 2012 and 2023.","authors":"José Zorro Mendes, Inês Teixeira, José Pedro Guerreiro, Klára Dimitrovová, Frederico Silva Leal, António Teixeira Rodrigues","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00813-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00813-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The Annual Price Revision (APR) based on external reference pricing (ERP) is one of the price control measures for the pharmaceutical sector implemented in Portugal. This study evaluates the impact of the APR on branded medicines in the outpatient market in Portugal between 2012 and 2023.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective longitudinal study with time series was conducted using national sell-out data for branded medicines from the outpatient market subject to the APR between 2012 and 2023. Data were retrieved from a panel of over 82% of community pharmacies and extrapolated to the national level. The impact was measured based on two outcomes: the annual and cumulative impacts, both analysed at current and constant prices. Both outcomes estimate the isolated effect of retail price variations resulting from changes in the maximum retail price. Additionally, the impact was assessed considering the inclusion of medicines in Homogeneous Groups (HGs) and according to payer segmentation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The annual impact ranged from a reduction from 128.4 million euros in 2012 to an increase of 2.7 million euros in 2023. Overall, the value of the total cumulative impact of the APR between 2012 and 2023 amounted to 5.3 billion euros. The impact was greater in patent-protected originator medicines, reaching 81.7% in 2023. The public entities captured 56.9% of the total price reductions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides a valuable contribution to the evaluation of price regulation measures based on ERP and can support decision-making by helping to identify and select specific criteria for future price revisions.</p><p><strong>Jel classification: </strong>I; I1; I11; I18; I19.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595642/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148346785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the efficiency of county-level medical and health services under the background of county medical community policy: a case study of Sanming, China.","authors":"Lina Zhao, Tangsiwei Xin, Xiaoran Wang, Limeng Zhu, Yafang Li, Hong Tan, Zongjiu Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00747-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00747-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Integrated care has become a global focus in efforts to improve health system performance and service delivery. China began exploring the construction of integrated care and the formation of county medical communities to improve county-level medical services in 2017. The Fujian-Sanming model has attracted extensive attention during this process. In this study, we used Sanming as the example, and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and Malmquist index were used to analyze the effectiveness and summarize the construction experience of advanced areas. We discuss the overall medical and health service efficiency in the county as it relates to the county medical community policy.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We referenced previous studies to select three input indicators and two output indicators that represent the medical and health services in the county. We then conducted an efficiency analysis of 10 counties in Sanming from both the static and dynamic perspectives using a combination of the traditional DEA-BCC model and DEA-Malmquist index. In addition, we measured the efficiency of the primary medical institutions in Sanming.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE), and scale efficiency (SE) improved from 0.814, 0.907, and 0.898 to 0.917, 0.965, and 0.948, respectively, from 2017 to 2022. These improvements reflected a better use of resources, improved management practices, and more appropriate allocations of the service capacity. The DEA-Malmquist index results showed that the total factor productivity (TFP) of the medical and health services in the counties of Sanming was 0.957 from 2017 to 2022, slightly lower than 1. This result indicated that resource allocation had not yet reached an optimal state, possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact. In addition, disparities between counties persisted, and the primary healthcare institutions generally exhibited lower efficiency levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this study demonstrated that under the county medical community policy, the efficiency of medical and healthcare services in Sanming improved. The study results suggest that future efforts should focus on strengthening county hospitals, enhancing the capacity of primary care institutions, and promoting coordinated development across counties. The Sanming model offers valuable insights, particularly for developing countries, regarding strategies to advance integrated care reform.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148340539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reducing breast cancer recurrences with CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment of HR-positive, HER2-negative early stage breast cancer from a societal perspective.","authors":"Stephanie Reitzinger, Thomas Czypionka, Gabriel Rinnerthaler","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00809-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00809-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hormone receptor (HR)-positive and HER2 receptor-negative breast cancer accounts for two thirds of all breast cancers. In case of distant recurrences, a non-curative strategy is usually implied. Hence, treatment options for early stage breast cancer to prevent metastatic recurrences are desirable. The aim of our study was to estimate the societal effect of reducing breast cancer recurrences by treating Austrian patients with stage II and III HR + /HER2 - breast cancer with CDK 4/6 inhibitors as an adjuvant treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed a 7-state Markov model with a time horizon of 30 years from a societal perspective and compared the follow-up direct and indirect costs between patients who were treated with and without a CDK4/6 inhibitor in the early stage. We distinguished between anatomic stage II/III and nodal status negative/positive subcohorts of patients. We used transition probabilities derived from the clinical trial NATALEE. Based on local registry data, we derived the Austrian female target population and matched it with the target patients of NATALEE.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 1,340 Austrian target patients diagnosed in 2022. In the anatomical stage II and stage III subcohorts, approx. 735 and 236 metastatic cancer years could be saved over 30 years, respectively. We estimated that, thereby, societal costs of about €52 million (discount rate = 3%) associated with cancer recurrences could be saved in the 30-year follow-up. Almost 75% of cost savings resulted from reductions in health care costs and about 25% from productivity gains (incl. unpaid work).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Treating stage II and III HR + HER2 - breast cancer patients with CDK4/6 inhibitors in Austria reduces metastatic breast cancer recurrences, resulting in considerable medical benefits and economic effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148340563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formal and informal financial inclusion and its impact on health: empirical evidence from South Africa.","authors":"Lwando Mjacu, Vikela Liso Sithole, Palesa Makhetha-Kosi","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00810-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00810-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The ability to secure high quality healthcare and access at an affordable cost for the entire population is the principal health objective of many countries on the path to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study addresses the critical, yet understudied, impact of formal and informal financial inclusion on health, directly supporting the objectives of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study employs and modifies South Africa's National Income Dynamic Study microdata by combining all five waves to create panel data. A random effects ordered probit model is used since it is possibly the best approach for panel data on self-rated health outcomes as it takes into consideration the existence of an additional normally distributed cross-section error term which captures individual specific effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results for formal financial inclusion dummy variable are statistically significant and positive, suggesting that individuals with access to formal financial services such as savings and credit have a higher probability of reporting better health outcomes. However, results for informal financial inclusion dummy variable are statistically significant and negative, implying that higher reliance on informal finance like stokvel savings and mashonisa credit shifts individuals toward the lower outcomes of health.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Given the mixed outcomes of the impact of formal and informal financial inclusion on health, this study recommends policies that could integrate informal savings and credit into the formal digital economy and address structural barriers that limit the effectiveness and efficiency of the financial system.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13543536/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148279115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-time healthcare staffing optimization using fuzzy logic and genetic algorithm.","authors":"Balveer Saini, Dinesh Kumar Saini","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00806-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00806-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The field of medical research has advanced remarkably in the twenty-first century; however, the healthcare industry faces significant challenges, including rising costs, increasing demand, and constrained resources. These factors make effective management of healthcare systems crucial. Efficient systems are those that better use resources, deliver services, and reduce waiting times.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The paper addresses the issue of healthcare staffing optimization by presenting a new model, the Fuzzy-Based Time-Dependent Multi-Server, Multi-Queueing (FB-TDMS-MQ) System. This model combines fuzzy logic with a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize staffing levels based on real-time patient needs and service times, a capability that traditional fixed-staffing models cannot accommodate. To demonstrate the model's application in a real-world setting, a case study is conducted at Dhanwantri Hospital and Research Centre (DHRC) in Jaipur, a multi-specialty hospital. The model's performance is evaluated using simulation studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The implementation of the FB-TDMS-MQ model led to significant improvements. Simulation studies demonstrated that the average \"peak-hour waiting time\" drastically reduced by 72.73% after incorporating fuzzy logic modifications. Additionally, the GA optimization approach resulted in a 50.2% reduction in average waiting time, showing superior performance compared to static staffing models. The model's sensitivity analysis proved highly useful in the case of unexpected events in the healthcare system.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The FB-TDMS-MQ model proved to be adaptable and effective in real-time healthcare staffing optimization. It demonstrated a reduction in waiting times and the ability to handle unexpected events, showing that the model could optimize staffing dynamically in fast-changing healthcare environments. The real-time control and modifications provided by the model have significant potential for improving hospital management and staff allocation.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13508271/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148265789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thailand's health financing resilience during COVID-19: leveraging universal health coverage to tackle the pandemic.","authors":"Aungsumalee Pholpark, Sikarn Issarachaiyos, Ilada Sooknark, Orawan Prasitsiriphon, Praewa Kulatnam, Papada Ranron, Sirithorn Khositchaiwat, Piya Hanvoravongchai, Yot Teerawattananon","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00808-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00808-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic constituted a public health emergency in Thailand from March 2020 to October 2022, testing the resilience of the health financing system. This study establishes an analytical framework to examine Thailand's public health financing arrangements and their subsequent impacts on public hospital financial reserves during this crisis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This mixed-methods study developed an analytical framework to examine Thailand's public health financing response. The study analyzed COVID-19 public health expenditure data (Fiscal Years (FY) 2020-2022) and financial data from 866 Ministry of Public Health hospitals (FY 2015-2022) using descriptive statistics and trend analysis. These quantitative findings were integrated with a thematic analysis of 21 key informant interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thailand enhanced health financing resilience through adaptive revenue mobilization and flexible resource allocation. Between FY 2020 and 2022, the government expanded fiscal space by mobilizing approximately US$13.78 billion via the Emergency Loan Decrees, Central Budget, and Social Security Fund. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) mechanisms expanded service coverage and expedited provider reimbursement. During delayed loan disbursements, public hospitals used internal financial reserves to bridge funding gaps and maintain service continuity. Consequently, net hospital reserves increased substantially by the pandemic's end compared to pre-pandemic baselines.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Thailand strategically leveraged its UHC system and mobilized emergency and pre-existing public funds to secure fiscal space and maintain system resilience. However, temporary funding influxes may mask localized resource strains on hospital financial reserves. To enhance future resilience, Thailand should establish a dedicated health emergency reserve fund, streamline extra-budgetary mechanisms, and adopt flexible procurement regulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595722/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148265753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prospective payment system transformation (2000-2024): temporal trends, payment architecture, and cross-national variation.","authors":"Anahita Behzadi, Zohreh Bagherinezhad, Maliheh Ghobadi","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00799-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00799-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) have been widely adopted over the past two decades as instruments for cost containment and efficiency improvement in health systems. However, much of the existing literature focuses on individual payment arrangements or single-country experiences, with limited attention to broader temporal, structural, and regional patterns reported across PPS-related reforms. This study examines patterns reported in the PPS-related literature published between 2000 and 2024, with particular emphasis on temporal trends, payment architecture, and regional variation in reform approaches.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study constitutes a secondary narrative analysis of 168 studies included in a prior systematic review. No additional searches were conducted. Using an interpretive analytical framework, the included studies were synthesized across three dimensions: temporal trends reported in the literature, structural characteristics of payment architecture, and regional or country-level variation in implementation and reform patterns.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 8,615 identified records, 168 studies met the inclusion criteria. Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG)-based systems (32.1%) and pay-for-performance arrangements (26.2%) were the most frequently examined configurations, followed by global budget and capitation approaches (17.9%). A substantial increase in publications was observed after 2016, with 63.7% of studies published between 2016 and 2024. Across the reviewed literature, three broad periods of policy and research emphasis were identified: an earlier period focused primarily on cost standardization and inpatient expenditure control (2000-2007); a subsequent period characterized by increasing attention to hybrid arrangements and quality-linked components (2008-2015); and a more recent period emphasizing bundled payments, context-adapted designs, and integration with budgetary constraints (2016-2024). Regional variation revealed heterogeneous implementation and reform patterns across North America, Europe, and Asia.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of this review suggest that PPS-related reforms are more appropriately understood as configurations of payment architecture embedded within broader institutional and governance contexts rather than as isolated payment models. Reported outcomes appear to depend less on model labels and more on design configuration and implementation capacity. Future research and policy analysis may benefit from more systematic reporting of payment architecture and its institutional prerequisites.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13377846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148057450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nasogastric vs. nasojejunal feeding in stroke patients under a DRG payment system: balancing clinical benefits and economic costs.","authors":"Jing Mei, Jiyu Chen, Fei Xie, Yang Xu, Jia Li, Yi He, Bin Mei","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00805-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00805-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Under the DRG payment system, the choice of enteral nutrition for stroke patients requires balancing clinical efficacy and economic costs. Nasogastric (NG) and nasojejunal (NJ) feeding are widely used, but comprehensive comparisons of nutritional outcomes, complications, and DRG‑related economic indicators remain limited.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare the clinical effects and economic burden of NG versus NJ enteral nutrition in stroke patients under DRG, and to provide evidence for individualized clinical decision‑making.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective study was conducted in stroke patients receiving enteral nutrition at a tertiary hospital in central China from January 2021 to December 2024. A total of 322 patients were initially enrolled (193 in NG group, 129 in NJ group), and 149 patients were eligible for final DRG economic analysis (83 in NG group, 66 in NJ group). To confirm model robustness, 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed (n = 66 pairs). Nutritional indicators, complications, length of stay, hospitalization costs, nutritional costs, and DRG cost overrun rates were compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The NJ group had lower pretreatment hemoglobin, but showed significantly greater improvements in hemoglobin and albumin than the NG group (both P < 0.001). The incidence of malnutrition and inflammatory burden index were significantly lower in the NJ group (both P < 0.05). In DRG analysis, total hospitalization costs and nutritional costs were significantly higher in the NJ group (both P < 0.001), with a higher DRG overrun rate (77.3% vs. 62.7%, P = 0.055). Length of stay was similar between groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>NJ is superior to NG in improving nutritional status and reducing malnutrition and inflammatory burden in stroke patients, but is associated with higher short‑term costs and greater DRG overrun risk. A risk‑stratified strategy is recommended under DRG to balance clinical benefits and economic sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13465956/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148176959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The economics of decision-making in dementia care and related life-limiting illness: a narrative review.","authors":"Ana Maksimovic, Simona Grassi, Clare Ellis-Smith, Peter May","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00803-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00803-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dementia represents a profound healthcare and economic challenge for the 21st century. A significant proportion of associated costs originate in decision-making between people with dementia, family carers, and health and social care practitioners. Economics is a decision science that may inform such choices, but the research evidence has not been collated and synthesised. We review the decision-making literature to analyse how economic insights can be applied to decision-making in life-limiting illness and identify findings applicable to dementia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our literature search was comprehensive and included EconLit, Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo, as well as a targeted search of relevant economic literature.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 9,854 studies, of which 62 were included. We found six key economic concepts: (a) principal-agent problem, (b) uncertainty, (c) asymmetric information, (d) hyperbolic discounting, (e) the empathy gap, and (f) non-linear value of time. These findings are helpful in understanding established patterns in the evidence base, including high end-of-life costs and variable efficacy of advance care planning.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings are used to consider the modifiability of formal, social, and household costs, and identify opportunities for future research. Dynamic communication between all decision-makers (patient, family, clinicians) is essential to overcome the identified barriers and drive improvements in dementia care. Further, we note that by integrating economic insights with lived experience, health sciences researchers get a better understanding of how decisions are made.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Examining the dynamics that shape individual-level decision-making promotes a better understanding of the drivers of costs in life-limiting illness. Economics should make wider use of this methodological approach to examine decision-making in dementia care.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13465789/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148164993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preferences towards digital health technologies: a scoping review.","authors":"Aimée Kingsada, Silvana Briones-Piedrafita, Thomas Rapp, Jonathan Sicsic","doi":"10.1186/s13561-026-00792-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13561-026-00792-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) are expanding rapidly, offering new opportunities to support care delivery. Their adoption, however, depends on how well they match patients' needs and expectations. Accurately assessing patient preferences is challenging due to diverse user profiles and varying methods used to measure preferences. A synthesis of current evidence is needed to clarify what patients value in DHTs.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study synthesizes evidence on patient preferences for DHTs-including eHealth, telehealth, telemedicine, and mHealth-and examines the methods used to elicit these preferences, highlighting opportunities to improve adoption and design.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a scoping review of literature published from 2000 to 2026 following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts for eligibility. Data were charted and narratively synthesized, with study characteristics categorized by methodology (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and preference elicitation techniques.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 2,419 records identified, 115 underwent full-text screening and 85 met all inclusion criteria: 27 qualitative studies (31.76%), 45 quantitative studies (52.95%), and 13 mixed-methods studies (15.29%). Quantitative studies primarily applied attribute-based methods (e.g., Discrete Choice Experiments, Conjoint Analysis, Best-Worst Scaling), and six studies used the Contingent Valuation method to estimate total willingness-to-pay for DHTs. Qualitative studies employed thematic analysis, deductive, inductive, and immersion-crystallization approaches. Across studies, patients consistently emphasized cost, privacy, convenience, and personalization of DHTs as key concerns. Only a few studies estimated the relative importance of the attributes or the marginal willingness to pay for the device's features. Considerable heterogeneity in preferences was observed by DHT type, patients' health condition and age.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches provide complementary insights into how patients perceive and value DHTs. Patients consistently seek personalized, easy-to-use, secure, and affordable solutions, which is particularly important for older adults managing chronic conditions. Given the diversity of patient preferences, it is essential to consider these differences when developing digital health technologies to ensure they effectively support patients and address their needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":46936,"journal":{"name":"Health Economics Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13621551/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148151016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}