Abstract
Introduction: Climate change poses a major threat to our health, livelihoods and the planet. In 2020, the UK National Health Service (NHS) committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to reach net zero by 2045. Although a net zero NHS would help to limit the consequences of climate change, little is known about the UK general public’s values and preferences for the proposed service changes needed to reach net zero.
Methods: This study will elicit the public’s preferences for actions to help achieve net zero NHS in England and Scotland using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The DCE attributes and levels describe actions that can be taken by the NHS across key areas: buildings and estates, outdoor space, travel and transport, provision of care, goods and services and food and catering. The survey was designed using online think aloud interviews with 17 members of the public. Two versions of the survey will be administered to a sample of up to 2,200 respondents. One will include a payment vehicle as income tax increases. We will estimate the relative importance of each attribute and, for the former survey, the monetary trade-offs which individuals are willing to make between attributes. Where possible, we will match both samples to gauge preference robustness with the inclusion of the monetary payment. We will test whether respondents’ preferences differ based on their socioeconomic circumstances and attitudes toward the NHS and climate change.
Ethics and Dissemination: The University of Aberdeen’s School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition Ethics’ Research Board has approved the study (Reference: SERB/690090). All participants will provide informed consent. Results will be submitted to peer-reviewed publications and presented at relevant conferences and seminars. A lay summary of the research will be published on the Health Economics Research Unit website.
Methods: This study will elicit the public’s preferences for actions to help achieve net zero NHS in England and Scotland using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The DCE attributes and levels describe actions that can be taken by the NHS across key areas: buildings and estates, outdoor space, travel and transport, provision of care, goods and services and food and catering. The survey was designed using online think aloud interviews with 17 members of the public. Two versions of the survey will be administered to a sample of up to 2,200 respondents. One will include a payment vehicle as income tax increases. We will estimate the relative importance of each attribute and, for the former survey, the monetary trade-offs which individuals are willing to make between attributes. Where possible, we will match both samples to gauge preference robustness with the inclusion of the monetary payment. We will test whether respondents’ preferences differ based on their socioeconomic circumstances and attitudes toward the NHS and climate change.
Ethics and Dissemination: The University of Aberdeen’s School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition Ethics’ Research Board has approved the study (Reference: SERB/690090). All participants will provide informed consent. Results will be submitted to peer-reviewed publications and presented at relevant conferences and seminars. A lay summary of the research will be published on the Health Economics Research Unit website.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e082863 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | BMJ Open |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 21 Jun 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Jun 2024 |
Bibliographical note
We thank colleagues for their comments on the study design and questionnaire. We thank all members of the public who took part in the think aloud interviews. We also thank Dr Dwayne Boyers and Professor Jennie Macdiarmid for their review of the protocol and whose comments and suggestions were taken on board and incorporated in this manuscript. We want to thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggested edits during the submission process.
Access to Document
- Loria_etal_BMJO_Public_Preferences_And_VoR
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