Ahmed Arif, Fincham Jack E
H. W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 2011 Apr;23(4):193-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2010.00577.x. Epub 2011 Jan 11.
To estimate consumer utilities associated with major attributes of retail clinics (RCs).
A discrete choice experiment (DCE) with 383 adult residents of the metropolitan statistical areas in Georgia conducted via Random Digit Dial survey of households. The DCE had two levels each of four attributes: price ($59; $75), appointment wait time (same day; 1 day or more), care setting-provider combination (nurse practitioner [NP]-RC; physician-private office), and acute illness (urinary tract infection; influenza), resulting in 16 choice scenarios. The respondents indicated whether they would seek care under each scenario.
Cost savings and convenience offered by RCs are attractive to urban patients, and given sufficient cost savings they are likely to seek care there. All else equal, one would require cost savings of at least $30.21 to seek care from an NP at RC rather than a physician at private office, and $83.20 to wait one day or more.
Appointment wait time is a major determinant of care-seeking decisions for minor illnesses. The size of the consumer utility associated with the convenience feature of RCs indicates that there is likely to be further growth and employment opportunities for NPs in these clinics.
评估与零售诊所（RC）主要属性相关的消费者效用。
通过对佐治亚州大都市统计区的383名成年居民进行随机数字拨号家庭调查开展的离散选择实验（DCE）。该DCE对四个属性各设置了两个水平：价格（59美元；75美元）、预约等待时间（当天；1天或更长时间）、护理环境 - 提供者组合（执业护士[NP] - RC；医生 - 私人诊所）以及急性疾病（尿路感染；流感），从而产生16种选择场景。受访者表明他们在每种场景下是否会寻求医疗服务。
RC提供的成本节约和便利性对城市患者具有吸引力，并且在有足够成本节约的情况下，他们可能会在那里寻求医疗服务。在其他条件相同的情况下，从RC的NP处而非私人诊所的医生处寻求医疗服务，需要至少30.21美元的成本节约；等待1天或更长时间则需要83.20美元的成本节约。
预约等待时间是小病寻求医疗服务决策的主要决定因素。与RC便利性特征相关的消费者效用规模表明，这些诊所的NP可能会有进一步的增长和就业机会。
