Complexity and doctor choices when discussing contraceptives

Denzil Fiebig, Rosalie Viney (), Marion Haas, Stephanie Knox, D. Street, E. Weisberg and D. Bateson

Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers from HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York

Abstract: In order to better understand choice behaviour, econometric models need to be able to reflect the complexity of decisions that individuals routinely face. We investigate the role of choice complexity in modelling medical decision-making in the case of a doctor choosing which specific contraceptive products to discuss with their patient before ultimately making a recommendation. Clinical vignettes describing patients, developed using stated preference methods, are presented to a sample of Australian general practitioners. An econometric model is developed that captures two salient sources of complexity. The first is associated with patients with particularcombinations of clinical and demographic attributes that induce uncertainty around what product to recommend while the second captures variation in the ability of doctors to find appropriate patient-product matches. We are especially interested in the tendencies of doctors to discuss long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in order to determine whether part of the explanation for the relatively low uptake of LARC in Australia is reluctance on the part of some doctors to even discuss these products.

Keywords: choice models; complex decisions; medical decision making; long-acting reversible contraception; clinical vignettes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C25 C81 I10 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dcm and nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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