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Patient Choice and Consumerism in Healthcare: Only a Mirage of Wishful Thinking?

An Essay on Theoretical and Empirical Aspects

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Challenges and Opportunities in Health Care Management

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Abstract

In many industrialized countries, healthcare systems are becoming increasingly competitive and patient-centered. Along with this development, the debate if, how and why patients act as sovereign consumers of healthcare services continues with sustained scholarly and societal interest. Regarding these aspects, the present essay summarizes essential aspects on the issue of patient choice for healthcare policy and research. First, the article elucidates the societal developments and political presumptions on which the concept of patient choice is built. These theoretical underpinnings are supplemented by an excursus covering the idiosyncrasies of the healthcare service encounter and lead to the introduction of a conceptual framework that illustrates relevant impact factors on patient’s ability to perform healthcare choices. Second, a brief summary of empirical findings provides current insights into evidence on patient choice. Here, the essay pays special attention to evidence on system-related outcomes, such as efficiency, and findings on the patient’s self-reflexion. Lastly, the essay closes with selected recommendations for health policy and academia.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For detailed sociological, philosophic, and ethical disputes on the role of patients as healthcare consumers, please refer for instance to Heubel (2000) or Newman and Vidler (2006).

  2. 2.

    The constructs appearing in Fig. 2 are highlighted in italic print within this essay.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TU Dresden, Research Group InnoTech4Health, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Sophia Fischer

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  1. Sophia Fischer
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Correspondence to Sophia Fischer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group InnoTech4Health, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Sebastian Gurtner

  2. University of Cooperative Education, Riesa, Sachsen, Germany

    Katja Soyez

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Fischer, S. (2015). Patient Choice and Consumerism in Healthcare: Only a Mirage of Wishful Thinking?. In: Gurtner, S., Soyez, K. (eds) Challenges and Opportunities in Health Care Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12178-9_14

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