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Integration of Physical and Mental Health Services for Children and Young People with Eating Disorders and Functional Symptom Disorders: Discrete Choice Experiment
22 Pages Posted: 4 Apr 2024
More...Abstract
Background: Given the increasing recognition of the value of greater integration of physical and mental health services for children and young people, we aimed to evaluate preferences among parents for the characteristics associated with integrated health service provision for two conditions (eating disorders, functional symptom disorders).
Methods: Two discrete choice experiments (DCEs) were conducted, using electronic surveys. Participants were adult parents of children and young people. Choice scenarios were based on five attributes for the eating disorders study, and four attributes for the functional symptom disorders study.
Findings: 200 parents participated in each DCE. For eating disorders, days missed from school in the last year was the attribute valued most highly, followed by NHS costs, functioning, days in hospital in the last year, and interaction with peers with eating disorders. Respondents were willing to pay £531 for one less day missed from school. For functional symptom disorders, time to diagnosis was valued most highly, followed by days missed from school while obtaining a diagnosis, reservations about seeing a mental health practitioner, and NHS costs of diagnosis. Respondents were willing to pay £4,237 to wait one month less for a diagnosis.
Interpretation: Respondents’ preferences were largely consistent with the planned goals of integrating physical and mental health services. Our findings show the factors which ought to be considered when designing new integrated pathways and evaluating them.
Funding: This study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (Award ID 16/138/17 NIHR133613).
Declaration of Interest: Tamsin Ford’s research group receives funding for research consultancy to Place2Be, a third sector organisation that provides mental health training and interventions in schools.
Ethical Approval: The study received ethical approval from the Health Research Authority and Health and Care Research Wales (reference 22/EM/0277).
Keywords: integration, eating disorders, functional symptom disorders, discrete choice experiment, preferences
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation