Stated preferences for family doctor contract services: a survey of the rural elderly in Anhui Province, China

OBJECTIVE: A number of factors contribute to the utilisation of family doctor contract services (FDCS) in China. This study aims to measure the preferences of the elderly for the FDCS and identify the key factors (and their relative importance) that may guide policymakers in more accurately providing the FDCS. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A discrete choice experiment was performed to elicit the preferences for FDCS among the rural elderly in China. Attributes and levels were established based on qualitative methods. Four attributes were included: service type, service package, physician’s reputation and annual contract costs. A D-efficient design was used to create a set of profiles that represented FDCS. The survey was conducted face to face using a sample of participants aged 60 and above in rural areas of Anhui Province. The data were analysed using a latent class logit (LCL) model. RESULTS: A total of 545 valid questionnaires were included in the analysis. The average age of the participants was 69.44 (SD 5.80). Two latent classes were identified with the LCL model. All four attributes proved statistically significant at the level of both the population mean and the two classes. The rural elderly showed a preference for FDCS with a relatively good reputation, lower annual contract costs, the basic service with the add-on of chronic disease service and home visit. Age, gender, education, self-reported health status and the number of chronic diseases were found to be associated with latent class membership. CONCLUSION: In this study, the physician’s reputation had the largest impact on the rural elderly’s choice of FDCS. Policy recommendations included the need to strengthen family doctor team training, devote greater attention to improving the family doctor’s medical skills and service approaches, and increased FDCS efficiency for the care of the rural elderly.