--- title: "Public's opinions of MDs: perceived and exercised choice. | Sutter Health" description: "Public's opinions of MDs are significantly associated with perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching, health status, & education." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. Public's opinions of MDs: perceived and exercised choice. # The public's opinions of physicians: do perceived choice and exercised choice matter? Tai-Seale M & Pescosolido B. _Am J Manag Care. 9(9):631-8._ 2003-09-01 ## Abstract OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the public's opinions of physicians are affected by one's perceived ability to choose providers and by past experience with switching providers or health plans. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of the American general public in 1998. METHODS: Multivariate quantitative analyses of opinions according to respondents' perceived ability to choose providers, history of exercising choice of providers or plans, and health status. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in 4 scales of opinions: trusting personal physician, positive opinions of physicians as a group, negative opinions of physicians as a group, and concerns about the influence of managed care on personal physicians' practice patterns. RESULTS: Although 75% (879/1172) of the sample perceived that they could use any physician they wanted, only 20% had ever switched health providers or plans owing to dissatisfaction. Perceived lack of choice is associated with lower levels of trust in personal physicians and with higher levels of concern about the influence of managed care on personal physicians. Individuals who have not switched in the past are more positive about physicians as a group and are less concerned about the influence of managed care. Health status affected opinions significantly. Educational attainment is negatively associated with opinions. CONCLUSIONS: The public's opinions of physicians are significantly associated with one's perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching health providers or plans, health status, and education. Ensuring consumer choice of providers and targeting those who have switched in the past and the sick could potentially improve the public's opinions. Meaningful provider quality information is necessary to ensure choices that can enhance consumer welfare. [PubMed abstract](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=tai-seale%2C+pescosolido) ## Research topics - [Health Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Services%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [Context matters: the experience of 14 research teams in systematically reporting contextual factors important for practice change.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/contextual-factors-practice-change-research-teams-1055312477) Tomoaia-Cotisel A, Scammon DL, Waitzman NJ, Cronholm PF, Halladay JR, Driscoll DL, Solberg LI, Hsu C, Tai-Seale M, Hiratsuka V, Shih SC, Fetters MD, Wise CG, Alexander JA, Hauser D, McMullen CK, Scholle SH, Tirodkar MA, Schmidt L, Donahue KE, Parchman ML, Stange KC. Ann Fam Med. 11 Suppl 1:S115-23. doi: 10.1370/afm.1549. 2013 May 01 - Publication ### [Using CollaboRATE, a brief patient-reported measure of shared decision making: results from three clinical settings in the United States.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/collaborate-brief-pt-repted-meas-shared-dec-making-1055312361) Forcino RC, Barr PJ, O'Malley AJ, Arend R, Castaldo MG, Ozanne EM, Percac-Lima S, Stults CD, Tai-Seale M, Thompson R1, Elwyn G. Health Expect. doi: 10.1111/hex.12588. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2017 Jul 05 - Publication ### [Fifty years of the journal HSR: informing policy and practice.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/50-yrs-journal-health-svces-res-policy-practice-1055312380) Zinn J, Romano PS, DeFriese G, Shortell SM, Luft HS, Flood AB. Health Serv Res. 2017 Jun;52(3):919-932. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12719. 2017 Jun 01 - Publication ### [Ready for change? The role of physician and staff engagement, burnout, and workplace attributes.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/md-staff-engagemt-burnout-wkplace-change-1055312510) Hung D, Chen PH. J Ambul Care Manage. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2016 Nov 23 - Publication ### [Nurses' perspectives on Lean redesigns to patient flow and inpatient discharge process efficiency.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/nurses-perspectives-on-lean-redesigns-1055312406) Nicosia FM, Park LG, Gray CP, Yakir MJ, Hung DY. Glob Qual Nurs Res. 5:2333393618810658. doi: 10.1177/2333393618810658. eCollection 2018 Jan-Dec. 2018 Nov 20 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Public's opinions of MDs: perceived and exercised choice."}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"The public's opinions of physicians: do perceived choice and exercised choice matter?","headline":"Public's opinions of MDs: perceived and exercised choice.","abstract":"OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the public's opinions of physicians are affected by one's perceived ability to choose providers and by past experience with switching providers or health plans. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of the American general public in 1998. METHODS: Multivariate quantitative analyses of opinions according to respondents' perceived ability to choose providers, history of exercising choice of providers or plans, and health status. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in 4 scales of opinions: trusting personal physician, positive opinions of physicians as a group, negative opinions of physicians as a group, and concerns about the influence of managed care on personal physicians' practice patterns. RESULTS: Although 75% (879/1172) of the sample perceived that they could use any physician they wanted, only 20% had ever switched health providers or plans owing to dissatisfaction. Perceived lack of choice is associated with lower levels of trust in personal physicians and with higher levels of concern about the influence of managed care on personal physicians. Individuals who have not switched in the past are more positive about physicians as a group and are less concerned about the influence of managed care. Health status affected opinions significantly. Educational attainment is negatively associated with opinions. CONCLUSIONS: The public's opinions of physicians are significantly associated with one's perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching health providers or plans, health status, and education. Ensuring consumer choice of providers and targeting those who have switched in the past and the sick could potentially improve the public's opinions. Meaningful provider quality information is necessary to ensure choices that can enhance consumer welfare.","description":"Public's opinions of MDs are significantly associated with perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching, health status, & education.","keywords":["Health Services"],"datePublished":"2003-09-01","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"Am J Manag Care"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tai-Seale M"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Pescosolido B"}],"sourceOrganization":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute"},"about":[{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Health Services","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Health+Services%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/public-opinion-mds-perceived-exercised-choice-1055312570#breadcrumblist"}}} ```