The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
-
Multicenter Study
Exploring preferences for symptom management in primary care: a discrete choice experiment using a questionnaire survey.
Symptoms are important drivers for the use of primary care services. Strategies aimed at shifting the focus away from the GP have broadened the range of primary healthcare available. ⋯ Despite increased choices in primary care, 'traditional' actions of 'self-care' for minor symptoms and 'GP consultation' for more serious symptoms were preferred. The present findings suggest, however, that people may be willing to trade between different health services, particularly for less serious symptoms. Understanding the relative importance of different factors may help inform interventions aimed at changing management behaviour or improving services.