Willingness to pay for poison control centers

We used the willingness-to-pay (WTP) method to value the benefits of poison control centers when direct access was blocked, comparing WTP among: (I) blocked callers (n = 396), (2) callers after access was restored (n = 418), and (3) the general population (n = 119). Mean monthly WTP was $6.70 (blocked callers), $6.11 (non-blocked callers), and $2.55 (general population). Blocked and non-blocked callers had a significantly higher WTP than general population respondents (p < 0.001). We conclude that the WTP method measured benefits that are difficult to quantify; however, WTP surveys need to be carefully conducted to minimize bias. We discuss how this approach could be useful for other health care services. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.