Abstract\udObjectives The shift toward more innovative and sustainable\udprimary care models in Italy leads policy makers\udand clinicians to face difficult decisions between options\udthat are all regarded as potentially beneficial. In this study,\udpatient preferences for different primary care models in the\udTuscany region of Italy were elicited. The relative importance\udof different attributes to the surveyed respondents\udwas then examined, as well as the rate at which individuals\udtrade between attributes and the relative value of different\udservice configurations.\udMethods A discrete choice experiment survey explored\udthe following attributes in a stratified random sample of\ud6,970 adults: primary care provider, diagnostic facilities\udand waiting time for the visit.\udResults Respondents (3,263) were likely to prefer a\udconsultation by their own general practitioner (GP) and a\udpractice with many diagnostic facilities. The predicted\udutilities of different service configurations have shown that\uda ‘‘primary care centre’’ with many diagnostic facilities\udwas preferable to a ‘‘solo GP’’ model or a ‘‘group general\udpractice’’.\udConclusions The study demonstrated how a patient\udchoice model could be used by decision makers for\uddeveloping successful policies that takes into account different\udhealthcare needs, balancing responsiveness with care continuity, equity and appropriateness. Considering that a\udprimary care centre would perform better than a ‘‘solo\udGP’’, especially for younger respondents and for those with\udminor healthcare needs, for a more rapid diffusion of this\udmodel policymakers and managers could direct the care of\udprimary care centres towards these targeted subgroups, at\udleast in the first phase.
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