Investigating valued attributes of OSA care pathway from the perspective of patient and high-risk individuals: A discrete choice experiment

Introduction: The current health care system is challenged with a large and rising demand for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) services. A paradigm shift in OSA management is required to incorporate the preferences of the end-users into the novel design of care pathways, including those with formally diagnosed patients and individuals at high risk of OSA. Understanding the preferences of existing and potential patients can help optimise the development of innovative OSA management pathways. Previous studies have examined the preferences of patients, yet these studies only focused on OSA therapies and management. Less is known regarding different attributes that construct the comprehensive OSA care pathways. This study aimed to provide empirical evidence of the values and preferences of individuals diagnosed with OSA and high-risk populations regarding their prioritisation of the distinct OSA care pathways at the stages of diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care.