Complexity of Individual Choice Between the Public and Private Healthcare Sectors

Abstract

This study analyzes what leads one individual to choose a particular health care institution, its main factors of valuation, their level of satisfaction as users, and the factors of complexity in their choice process, in Portugal. This work will compare public and private institutions and characterize the users of both types of health institutions. The explanatory variables for choosing between public or private sector health care institutions are (1) complexity factors in accessing health care services, (2) individual's attitude toward the health, (3) quality of service and e-service, (4) effectiveness of treatment, (5) price fairness, and (6) institution's perceived quality. This information was collected through an online structured questionnaire and a quantitative methodology was applied. Results show that while overall service quality has a positive and significant influence on public and private health care institutions, choice difficulty shows a negative and significant influence.