Including the public perspective in health-related MCDA: ideas from the field of public opinion research and polling

This commentary utilizes the lens of public opinion research in health to suggest ideas for best integrating public input into multi-criteria decisions analysis (MCDA) approaches. The field of public opinion research suggests: (1) there is frequently a distinction between public and expert views, even outside of situations where the public has direct experience; (2) representative samples are important to ensure findings reflect all segments of the relevant population; and (3) limiting cognitive burden in studies designed to elicit public preferences is essential for meaningful responses that represent the population’s views. Together these reflections suggest the need for considering new avenues for including public views in MCDA approaches where representative samples relying on well-designed questions are utilized more regularly.