Factors influencing patient choice of a medical consultant in Tehran

Patient informed choice improves medical services through creating competition among healthcare providers. Understanding patients’ expectations helps providers meet patients’ needs accordingly. This study aimed to determine factors affecting patient choice of a specialist physician in Tehran, Iran.
A valid and reliable questionnaire based on 10P marketing mix model was used for conducting such a cross- sectional descriptive study. Cluster sampling method was used to recruit 400 patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Factors related to the characteristics of patient and physician and contextual factors influence patient choice. The most important factors in choosing a specialist physician were the package of services, process of providing the services, product (type of service required) and promotion.
Quality is an important factor in choosing a medical consultant. Knowledge of factors affecting patient choice of a specialist physician can be used in marketing strategies by physicians. Understanding patients’ preferences and expectations leads to quality improvement of healthcare care services.