ABSTRACT

The objective of this chapter is to describe the major features of consumers and consumer behaviour in healthcare delivery and their associated factors and models. Consumers’ (or readers’) deeper understanding of this concept and its interplay with other factors will enhance both their decision-making process in choosing a healthcare service and their subsequent consumer satisfaction. A growing literature indicates that consumer patients’ behaviour is influenced by several factors in the decision-making process throughout the various phases of healthcare. One major influential factor in the decision-making process is the capacity of consumers to be equipped with information on products, which is essential in determining their behaviours. Adequate information serves as a psychological salve which decreases various kinds of distress across various areas. What is unknown is what the inconsistencies are between how consumers at present perceive themselves and how they desire to see themselves. The scale of this divergence, however, is dependent on how realistic and believable the contingent market is. This paper gives an overview of eight major features in the description of the consumer and consumer behaviour concept which include: (i) introduction to healthcare consumers; (ii) types of healthcare consumers; (iii) features of healthcare consumers; (iv) consumer behaviour and the decision-making process; (v) pre-encounter phase; (vi) the encounter phase; (vii) post-encounter value outcome evaluation; and (viii) industry buyer behaviour. It is concluded that the idea of the consumer and consumer behaviour in healthcare has been poorly represented in the construction, specification, and presentation of healthcare management, and that there has been little, if any, advancement in this regard over the last 10 years. Suggestions are given as to why this may be the case, and how the construction of healthcare management may be enhanced in the future. Generally, this review both provides a primer on compensatory consumer behaviour and sets an agenda for future research.