Understanding public preferences for prioritising health care interventions in England: does the type of health gain matter?

Health care budgets are finite and decisions must be made aboutwhich interventions to provide and, by implication, which willnot be provided. The aim of this study was to investigate whatfeatures of health care interventions, including the type ofhealth gain, are important to members of the public in Englandin making priority-setting decisions and to understand why. Q methodology was used with 52 members of the public in northeast England. Respondents rank ordered 36 health care interventionsfrom those they would give highest priority to through to thosethey would give lowest priority to. A form of factor analysiswas used to reveal a small number of shared viewpoints.