Publication · Social Science & Medicine · 2026
Fit for Purpose? Assessing the Robustness of Discrete Choice Experiment Designs in the Context of Evolving Health Technologies
Mesfin G. Genie; Verity Watson; Michaël Schwarzinger; Stéphane Luchini (2026). Fit for Purpose? Assessing the Robustness of Discrete Choice Experiment Designs in the Context of Evolving Health Technologies. Social Science & Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119463
In plain language
Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) describe options using a fixed set of attributes and levels. When the technology being studied evolves quickly, a design chosen at the outset can become a poor description of the real choice. This paper examines how well DCE designs hold up under those conditions and what it takes to keep a design fit for purpose.
Research question
How robust are discrete choice experiment designs when the health technologies they describe are themselves changing?
Approach
A methodological study of discrete choice experiment design, assessing how design choices perform when the attributes and levels that describe an evolving health technology change.
Contribution
It offers guidance for designing discrete choice experiments that remain reliable when the subject matter is a moving target, which is increasingly common for new health technologies.
Why it matters
Researchers commissioning preference studies on fast-moving technologies can use the paper to anticipate where a design may lose validity and to plan accordingly.
Read the paper
The full methods, results, and limitations are reported in the published article. Please read and cite the original.