Tastes and preferences of patients/consumers
People from the same economic circumstances make different medical decisions/choices when faced with the same medical problem. We have seen:
Certain ethnic groups’ distrust of physicians and medical authorities
Certain ethnic groups’ deference to authorities and their reluctance to challenge them
State of health controls:
Genetic and demographic factors (profile variables) - age, sex, race, marital status, past illness, etc.
Social structure ‑ education, religion, occupation, family structure, etc.
Quality of health care : Patients are willing to pay higher prices for better quality
The influence of physicians