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Gagnon M, Payne A, Guta A. What are the ethical implications of using prize-based contingency management in substance use? A scoping review. Harm Reduct J 2021; 18:82. [PMID: 34348710 PMCID: PMC8335458 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-021-00529-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The area of substance use is notable for its early uptake of incentives and wealth of research on the topic. This is particularly true for prize-based contingency management (PB-CM), a particular type of incentive that uses a fishbowl prize-draw design. Given that PB-CM interventions are gaining momentum to address the dual public health crises of opiate and stimulant use in North America and beyond, it is imperative that we better understand and critically analyze their implications. PURPOSE The purpose of this scoping review paper is to identify the characteristics of PB-CM interventions for people who use substances and explore ethical implications documented in the literature as well as emerging ethical implications that merit further consideration. METHODS The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used in conjunction with Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework to guide this scoping review. We completed a two-pronged analysis of 52 research articles retrieved through a comprehensive search across three key scholarly databases. After extracting descriptive data from each article, we used 9 key domains to identify characteristics of the interventions followed by an analysis of ethical implications. RESULTS We analyzed the characteristics of PB-CM interventions which were predominantly quantitative studies aimed at studying the efficacy of PB-CM interventions. All of the interventions used a prize-draw format with a classic magnitude of 50%. Most of the interventions combined both negative and positive direction to reward processes, behaviors, and/or outcomes. One ethical implication was identified in the literature: the risk of gambling relapse. We also found three emerging ethical implications by further analyzing participant characteristics, intervention designs, and potential impact on the patient-provider relationship. These implications include the potential deceptive nature of PB-CM, the emphasis placed on the individual behaviors to the detriment of social and structural determinants of health, and failures to address vulnerability and power dynamics. CONCLUSIONS This scoping review offers important insights into the ethics on PB-CM and its implications for research ethics, clinical ethics, and public health ethics. Additionally, it raises important questions that can inform future research and dialogues to further tease out the ethical issues associated with PB-CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilou Gagnon
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC, V8N 5M8, Canada.
- School of Nursing, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
| | - Alayna Payne
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC, V8N 5M8, Canada
| | - Adrian Guta
- School of Social Work, University of Windsor, 167 Ferry Street, Windsor, ON, N9A 0C5, Canada
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Hoskins K, Schmidt H. Breastfeeding, Personal Responsibility and Financial Incentives. Public Health Ethics 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/phe/phab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Should financial incentives be offered to mothers for breastfeeding? Given the significant socioeconomic and sociodemographic differences in breastfeeding in the USA, researchers and policymakers are exploring the role of financial incentives for breastfeeding promotion with the objective of increasing uptake and reducing disparities. Despite positive outcomes in other health domains, the acceptability of financial incentives is mixed. Financial incentives in the context of infant feeding are particularly controversial given the complex obligations that characterize decisions to breastfeed. After situating the specific ethical tensions related to personal responsibility, fairness, and intrusiveness, we argue that exploring carefully designed financial incentives can be ethically justified to support breastfeeding uptake particularly given (i) established medical guidelines that support breastfeeding benefits, (ii) wide socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities and (iii) notable influences in the broader choice architecture of infant feeding in the USA. Additional empirical research is warranted to better understand effectiveness, cost and specific ethical concerns related to free and informed choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelin Hoskins
- Perelman School of Medicine, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Harald Schmidt
- Perelman School of Medicine, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, USA
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Gagnon M, Guta A, Upshur R, Murray SJ, Bungay V. "It gets people through the door": a qualitative case study of the use of incentives in the care of people at risk or living with HIV in British Columbia, Canada. BMC Med Ethics 2020; 21:105. [PMID: 33109165 PMCID: PMC7590593 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-020-00548-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There has been growing interest in the use of incentives to increase the uptake of health-related behaviours and achieve desired health outcomes at the individual and population level. However, the use of incentives remains controversial for ethical reasons. An area in which incentives have been not only proposed but used is HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care—each one representing an interconnecting step in the "HIV Cascade." Methods The main objective of this qualitative case study was to document the experiences of health care and service providers tasked with administrating incentivized HIV testing, treatment, and care in British Columbia, Canada. A second objective was to explore the ethical and professional tensions that arise from the use of incentives as well as strategies used by providers to mitigate them. We conducted interviews with 25 providers and 6 key informants, which were analyzed using applied thematic analysis. We also collected documents and took field notes. Results Our findings suggest that incentives target populations believed to pose the most risk to public health. As such, incentives are primarily used to close the gaps in the HIV Cascade by getting the "right populations" to test, start treatment, stay on treatment, and, most importantly, achieve (and sustain) viral suppression. Participants considered that incentives work because they "bring people through the door." However, they believed the effectiveness of incentives to be superficial, short-lived and one-dimensional—thus, failing to address underlying structural barriers to care and structural determinants of health. They also raised concerns about the unintended consequences of incentives and the strains they may put on the therapeutic relationship. They had developed strategies to mitigate the ensuing ethical and professional tensions and to make their work feel relational rather than transactional. Conclusions We identify an urgent need to problematize the use of incentives as a part of the "HIV Cascade" agenda and interrogate the ethics of engaging in this practice from the perspective of health care and service providers. More broadly, we question the introduction of market logic into the realm of health care—an area of life previously not subject to monetary exchanges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilou Gagnon
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC, V8N 5M8, Canada.
| | - Adrian Guta
- School of Social Work, University of Windsor, 167 Ferry Street, Windsor, ON, N9A 0C5, Canada
| | - Ross Upshur
- Dalla Lana Chair in Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, 678-155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Stuart J Murray
- Canada Research Chair in Rhetoric and Ethics, Department of English Language and Literature, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Vicky Bungay
- Canada Research Chair in Gender, Equity and Community Engagement, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T2B5, Canada
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Hoskins K, Ulrich CM, Shinnick J, Buttenheim AM. Acceptability of financial incentives for health-related behavior change: An updated systematic review. Prev Med 2019; 126:105762. [PMID: 31271816 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2019.105762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite the successes of financial incentives in increasing uptake of evidence-based interventions, acceptability is polarized. Given widespread interest in the use of financial incentives, we update findings from Giles and colleagues' 2015 systematic review (n = 81). The objectives of this systematic review are to identify what is known about financial incentives directed to patients for health-related behavior change, assess how acceptability varies, and address which aspects and features of financial incentives are potentially acceptable and not acceptable, and why. PRISMA guidelines were used for searching peer-reviewed journals across 10 electronic databases. We included empirical and non-empirical papers published between 1/1/14 and 6/1/18. After removal of duplicates, abstract screening, and full-text reviews, 47 papers (n = 31 empirical, n = 16 scholarly) met inclusion criteria. We assessed empirical papers for risk of bias and conducted a content analysis of extracted data to synthesize key findings. Five themes related to acceptability emerged from the data: fairness, messaging, character, liberty, and tradeoffs. The wide range of stakeholders generally preferred rewards over penalties, vouchers over cash, smaller values over large, and certain rewards over lotteries. Deposits were viewed unfavorably. Findings were mixed on acceptability of targeting specific populations. Breastfeeding, medication adherence, smoking cessation, and vaccination presented as more complicated incentive targets than physical activity, weight loss, and self-management. As researchers, clinicians, and policymakers explore the use of financial incentives for challenging health behaviors, additional research is needed to understand how acceptability influences uptake and ultimately health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelin Hoskins
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Department of Family and Community Health, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 3641 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America.
| | - Connie M Ulrich
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 3641 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America
| | - Julianna Shinnick
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Department of Family and Community Health, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America
| | - Alison M Buttenheim
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Department of Family and Community Health, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 3641 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America; Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America
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