The doctor-patient relationship: Participation, compliance and satisfaction

Abstract

This conceptual paper aims to contribute to the services marketing literature by investigating the doctor-patient relationship through the theoretical lens of relationship marketing and the co-creation paradigm. With a clear link between satisfaction, health outcomes and the adherence to therapeutic suggestions proposed in the literature, patient satisfaction is likely to benefit not only individual health service providers but potentially the health care system as a whole. Hence, this paper conceptualises the drivers of such satisfaction, with a particular focus on the relationship between participation, compliance and satisfaction within the medical encounter, leading to a conceptual model for future empirical research. The paper provides relevant measurements and concludes with a research agenda.