Preference elicitation at the end of life

Conventional economic evaluation methods are likely unsuitable for valuing end-of-life care. This chapter describes much simpler tasks called discrete choice experiments as an alternative. It uses an Australian study and summarises work on the research frontier which offers the prospect of validating the stated preferences of individuals using physiological (response time) data. Such data also appear to be able to distinguish Kahneman’s “fast” (emotional) and “slow” (considered) decision-making styles, which will provide clinicians and policymakers with much more information about what is driving an individual’s views.