Abstract
BackgroundRecently, cases of medical disputes and even acts of violence toward physicians by patients in China have been escalating. It remains unknown whether competition improves the patient-physician relationship.MethodsThis paper analyzes the relationship between hospital competition and the probability of medical disputes occurrence according to the theory of social control. Data from all hospitals in the Sichuan province of China from 2011 to 2014 were included in the study. The fixed radius approach with GIS information was employed to define hospital market, and the differences in competition over time and across regions were utilized. Our analysis is based on the fixed effect estimation, which accounts for the time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity among hospitals.ResultsWe found an inversed U-shaped relationship between HHI and the likelihood of medical disputes. As beneath either situation of monopoly or full competition, the burst of physician-patient dispute was downward into a valley, but it rises and then falls again with the increase of HHI, it reached the peak at the typical semi-market hospital competition structure.ConclusionsOur results highlight the probability of change in disputes occurrence with the transition of hospital competition and its psychological explanation, providing implications for China’s future health reform.
Highlights
The ecology of Chinese medical practice has been characterized by a skyrocketing number of medical disputes and even outright violence toward physicians [1, 2]
There are debates regarding the psychological benefits between monopolistic and competitive markets. It is unknown whether a powerful monopolistic or a highly regulated full competitive market would be effective in providing feelings of control for a patient, compensating for feelings of chaos and uncertainty in the external system and decreasing the probability of medical disputes occurrence
We found that hospital competition would improve China’s health care delivery [5]
Summary
The ecology of Chinese medical practice has been characterized by a skyrocketing number of medical disputes and even outright violence toward physicians [1, 2]. The high occurrence of physician-patient disputes can reflect the current physician-patient relationship, echoing the state of chaos that exists in the healthcare market in China. Cases of medical disputes and even acts of violence toward physicians by patients in China have been escalating. It remains unknown whether competition improves the patient-physician relationship. There are debates regarding the psychological benefits between monopolistic and competitive markets It is unknown whether a powerful monopolistic or a highly regulated full competitive market would be effective in providing feelings of control for a patient, compensating for feelings of chaos and uncertainty in the external system and decreasing the probability of medical disputes occurrence
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
