Association of willingness to pay with severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, health status and other preference measures.

Abstract

Willingness to pay (WTP) is a method frequently used to measure the benefits of health interventions in monetary terms. To assess the construct validity of the WTP method in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fifty-nine COPD patients (34 men, mean age 57 years) were asked about their maximum WTP for a theoretical cure for COPD. In addition, they reported utility scores using standard gamble, time trade-off, a multi-attribute utility instrument, and a rating scale. They also responded to the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire, dyspnea measures and had comprehensive pulmonary function tests. The participants reported a median WTP of Norwegian kroner 200 000 (US $24 096) for a theoretical cure for COPD without side-effects. The associations of WTP with utility scores, dimensions of health status, dyspnea measures and lung function tests were low. The findings of this study question the validity of the WTP method in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.