PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBING DECISION - THE EFFECTS OF SITUATIONAL INVOLVEMENT AND TASK COMPLEXITY ON INFORMATION ACQUISITION AND DECISION-MAKING

This research utilized conjoint analysis and an analysis of informatio n acquisition to examine the effects of situational involvement and ta sk complexity on physician's decision-making process. The predictive a ccuracy of the linear model in predicting drug choice across situation s was also assessed. A contingency model for the selection of decision strategies was used as a framework in the study. A sample of forty-ei ght physicians was asked to indicate their preferences and choices for hypothetical anti-infective drugs. Situational involvement was manipu lated by telling physicians in the experimental group via the written scenario to assume that his/her decision would be reviewed and evaluat ed by peers and (s)he would be asked to justify drug choice. Task comp lexity was manipulated by varying the number of drug alternatives in a choice set. Results of the study indicated that physicians shifted fr om using compensatory to noncompensatory decision-making processes whe n task complexity increased. The effect of situational involvement on the decision-making process was not supported. However, physicians in the two groups were found to differ in choice outcomes and the attenti on given to specific drug attribute information. Finally, the linear m odel was found to be robust in predicting drug choice across contexts.