OBJECTIVES: Studies that quantify preferences for vaccination features help vaccine producers and policymakers understand what drives decisions to vaccinate. This literature review summarizes published discrete choice experiment (DCE) studies of preferences for vaccination features, reports key findings and identifies gaps in the literature.
METHODS: A PubMed literature search was conducted to identify published original English-language DCE studies articles reporting preferences for vaccinations. For each study, information on study features was extracted and summarized.
RESULTS: Using the search terms, 450 abstracts were identified for review. A total of 40 studies published since 2004 were included in the review. The studies focused on vaccines against HPV (number of studies [n]=11), HIV (n=7), influenza (n=5), rotavirus (n=2), and meningococcal disease (n=2). Five studies focused on multiple or unidentfied vaccines. Fourteen studies were conducted in the United States; 7 in The Netherlands; 3 in Thailand; 3 in Canada; 2 in Vietnam; 2 in Germany; 1 each in Belgium, The Phillipines, Japan, and the United Kingdom (some studies were conducted in multiple countries). The study population varied and included parents evaluating vaccines for their children (n=11), physicians or other health care providers (n=5), general population adults (n=7), girls (n=4), and high-risk adults (n=3). Ten studies used ratings of hypothetical vaccine profiles, while most of the remaining studies used discrete choice question formats. Ratings studies evaluated the acceptability of vaccines and the stated intention to vaccinate. The data from the discrete choice format studies were used to calculate predicted uptake and willingness to pay. The types and defintitions of vaccination features included in the studies varied signficantly across studies.
CONCLUSIONS: DCE studies of vaccine preferences have been diverse. Study findings can help stakeholders understand the features that may drive vaccination decisions. Additional analysis of existing studies is required to facilitate direct comparisons of the findings.
