Patients are the final health care decision makers; their satisfaction with a medication is likely to affect whether or not they adhere to the medication prescribed by their physician. In the case of bipolar disorder, this study suggests patients are likely to be more adherent to medications that reduce the severity of depressive episodes and do not cause weight gain or cognitive side effects. By understanding the factors that improve adherence, health care providers can optimize prescribing patterns, which may ultimately lead to more effective management and improvement in the patient's condition.

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Medical interventions carry risks of adverse outcomes that must be evaluated against their clinical benefits. Most MS patients indicated they are willing to accept risks in exchange for clinical efficacy. Patient preferences for potential benefits and risks can assist in decision-making.

Background Patient preferences can affect colorectal cancer screening test use. We compared utility-based preferences for alternative CRC screening tests from a stated-preference discrete-choice survey of the general population and physicians in Canada and the United States. Methods General population respondents (Canada, n=501; US, n=1087) participated in a survey with twelve choice scenarios and nine CRC screening test attributes. Physicians (n=100, both Canada and US) reported expected patient preferences. We estimated relative importance of attributes using bivariate probit regression analysis and calculated willingness-to-pay for various CRC screening tests. Results In 28% and 31% of scenarios, Canadian and US respondents, respectively, chose no screening over a hypothetical test. Canadian (45%) and US (46%) physicians expected patients to choose no screening more often. For all groups the most important attribute was sensitivity, but physicians’ perception of patients’ preferences are significantly different from actual preferences. Other key attributes are those related to test performance or the testing process. Fecal DNA, colonoscopy, and virtual colonoscopy were the most preferred tests by all groups, but respondents were willing-to-pay more than physicians predicted. Conclusion Physicians’ perception of patients’ preferences are quite different from those of the general population. However, among general population and physicians, Canadian and US preferences were similar.

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