Discrete Choice Experiments to Elicit Patient Preferences for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background Individual preferences for treatment options for major depressive disorder can impact therapeutic decision making, adherence, and ultimately outcomes. Objectives This systematic review of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) on patient preferences for major depressive disorder treatment assessed the range of DCE applications in major depressive disorder to document patient stakeholder involvement in DCE development and to identify the relative importance of treatment attributes. Methods We searched MEDLINE via Ovid (1946-present), EMBASE (Elsevier interface), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Wiley interface), and PsycINFO (EBSCO interface) databases on 29 May, 2024. Covidence software facilitated the review, which four members completed independently. The review was conducted in two phases: title and abstract and then a full-text review. We used an established quality reporting tool to evaluate selected articles. The Covidence extraction tool was adapted for this study. Results A total of 19 articles were included in this review. Most studies elicited preferences for depression treatment (63.2%) and care delivery (10.5%). Two assessed willingness to pay. Individuals prefer a combination of medicine and counseling over each treatment alone. Treatment efficacy, relapse prevention, and symptom relief were among the most important attributes. Individuals were willing to accept larger risks to achieve symptom improvement. Few studies examined preference heterogeneity with latent subgroups. Conclusions Discrete choice experiments for major depressive disorder treatment preferences enable an assessment of trade-offs for first-line therapeutic options. Patient stakeholders are infrequently involved as collaborators in the DCE development. Few examined preference heterogeneity among subgroups.