This discrete choice experiment surveyed 382 musculoskeletal patients, asking them to repeatedly choose between combinations of care features, including who treats them, waiting times, appointment continuity and clinic convenience, to establish what patients genuinely value most in musculoskeletal care.
What was studied?
Each patient completed 16 choice scenarios comparing physiotherapist versus support worker care alongside factors like one-to-one versus group treatment and clinic parking, and researchers compared preferences between patients with and without prior support worker experience.
What did they find?
Patients showed a clear overall preference for being seen by a physiotherapist, shorter waits, seeing the same clinician each visit, one-to-one rather than group treatment, and convenient locations. Patients with a good prior experience of a support worker cared much less about clinician type.
Why it matters
Continuity, convenience and one-to-one attention matter to patients just as much as the job title of whoever is treating them. A good experience with a trusted clinician builds confidence regardless of professional background.
Why we included it
It underscores a broader lesson for care design: relationship-level factors like continuity, attention and convenience shape patient trust and satisfaction as much as who technically holds the clinical qualification.
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What was studied?
Each patient completed 16 choice scenarios comparing physiotherapist versus support worker care alongside factors like one-to-one versus group treatment and clinic parking, and researchers compared preferences between patients with and without prior support worker experience.
What did they find?
Patients showed a clear overall preference for being seen by a physiotherapist, shorter waits, seeing the same clinician each visit, one-to-one rather than group treatment, and convenient locations. Patients with a good prior experience of a support worker cared much less about clinician type.
Why it matters
Continuity, convenience and one-to-one attention matter to patients just as much as the job title of whoever is treating them. A good experience with a trusted clinician builds confidence regardless of professional background.
Why we included it
It underscores a broader lesson for care design: relationship-level factors like continuity, attention and convenience shape patient trust and satisfaction as much as who technically holds the clinical qualification.