Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.32676/n.7.1.1
Microeconomic analysis of the impact of physicians’ and patients' emotions on health care outcomes
Ilko Vrankić
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate how the emotions experienced by physicians and patients in their interaction with each other in the long-run affect changes in their behavior and health care outcomes. Physicians and patients learn from previous experiences and their behavior evolves so that they more often choose strategies that achieve higher-than-average psychological utility. In the analysis of this problem from a dynamic perspective complex mathematical tools of evolutionary game theory and replicator dynamics are used, which include a detailed study of the behavior of systems of differential equations. The scientific contribution of this paper is reflected in the analysis of different scenarios of the impact of frustrations, regrets and guilt on the long-term behavior of physicians and patients and shows that system behavior depends significantly on the extent and strength of emotions experienced by physicians and patients. In this way, it is possible to find effective policy measures. Given that the wider set of emotions experienced by the doctor and the patient in interaction with each other significantly affects the possible behavior of the system, the results derived in this paper should be interpreted critically.
Keywords
psychological expected utility; evolutionary game theory; replicator dynamics; anticipatory feelings; health care outcomes
Hrčak ID:
267083
URI
Publication date:
13.12.2021.
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