Abstract:
Correct understanding of the risks of treatments is essential for consumers of health
services. Yet, existing research has not examined how consumers understand risk in
mixed-market health service environments, where private sector firms operate
alongside established public sector providers, such as is the case in the UK. As the
range and complexity of private sector health services increases, there remains
uncertainty about how individuals will perceive, and respond to, the risks involved in
using such services. In this research, I examine the role of the professional service
encounter as a moderator of risk perception. I manipulate two key variables in the
service encounter: emotional labour and professional role. Emotional labour, and the
perception by the consumer of affect arising from the use of emotional labour, is a key
technique used by service employees to create empathy and increase consumer
engagement. Professional role refers to the varying levels of credence attached by
consumers to health professionals representing either the private or public sector.
