Preoperative information packages influence patient preferences in refractive surgery

BackgroundIndividualized preoperative information can enhance patient satisfaction. However, existing studies have methodological limitations, largely adopting a healthcare “supply-side” perspective and lacking a patient-centered approach. Moreover, systematic quantitative assessments of information preferences among refractive surgery patients remain scarce.SettingsDepartment of Ophthalmology at a tertiary general hospital in Luzhou and a tertiary ophthalmic specialized hospital in Shenzhen, China.ParticipantsA total of 119 patients in the pilot survey phase, and 567 patients in the formal survey phase.MethodsAttributes and levels were identified through literature review, qualitative interviews, expert panel consultation and importance ranking. An orthogonal design was generated using Ngene for pilot choice sets, with a D-efficient design subsequently optimized for the main survey. Model estimation was performed in Stata 17.0, commencing with a multinomial logit (MNL) model and a random parameters logit (RPL) model to capture unobserved preference heterogeneity. A latent class logit (LCL) model was subsequently estimated to identify preference-based subgroups. Attribute interaction effects were examined to explore potential complementarities and substitutabilities. Finally, Scenario prediction analysis were conducted to predict the uptake probabilities of alternative information packages.ResultsA total of 10,200 choice observations (425 patients) passed the consistency check. Psychological support, mode of information interaction feedback, and duration of information provision were identified as the core driving factors, and two heterogeneous latent subgroups were identified. Joint analysis of attribute interactions showed significant overall effects [χ2 (21) = 78.17, p