The Dynamics of Patient Choice: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Dear Colleagues,

Patient choice is a complex process that depends on several factors involving patients, physicians, and healthcare systems. The interaction of these factors is also complex, and several scientific fields, such as health services research, health economics, healthcare decision-making, health policy, systems theory, and complexity theory, through pure theoretical approaches or experiments, make significant contributions to understanding how patients and physicians make decisions regarding patient care.

Patient-centered, high-quality medical care that is evidence-based and results in positive health outcomes while responding to needs and desires and respecting patient autonomy is possible, yet not necessarily the standard. The above-mentioned scientific disciplines continue to explore the actions of the stakeholders involved in medical decision-making, because of the complexities involved.

In terms of health services research, these complexities result in complicated analyses. Thus, it is necessary to define the framework under which studies are carried out, without undermining the objective of the research.

This Special Issue approaches “dynamics” as changes that occur through the many interactions involved in patient decision-making. For example, the most common interactions concern treatment. Shared decision-making constitutes one of the primary topics under the umbrella of “dynamics.” Another area of focus may be the mechanism that transforms patients’ needs, i.e., from felt to expressed and, in turn, to normative approaches or patient agency. Another topic of interest is the patient’s journey in the healthcare system.

Patient choice is absolutely central to modern healthcare. It shapes everything: quality, efficiency of services, and even fairness. To truly understand why patients make the choices they do, we need to integrate the aforementioned fields. Research must scrutinize healthcare systems, refine service management, and develop robust health policy frameworks. This broad, integrated perspective is vital. It fosters better health outcomes and truly patient-centered care. Studying these dynamic shifts is of paramount importance, in order to help healthcare systems adapt to evolving citizen needs.

We invite high-quality scientific and policy papers, both empirical and theoretical, from academics and researchers. The integration of one field of science with another will provide a good foundation for the study of patient choice.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Dimitris Zavras
Guest Editor

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• patient
• physician
• healthcare system
• choice
• healthcare utilization
• healthcare-seeking behavior
• interaction
• complexity
• patient-centered medical care
• quality
• evidence-based medicine