Revisiting the patient–physician relationship under the lens of value co-creation and defensive medicine

Purpose: This study formulates a new archetypical model that describes and re-interprets the patient–physician relationship from the perspective of two widespread phenomena in the healthcare delivery process: value co-creation (VCC) and defensive medicine (DM). Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in the existing literature on VCC and DM, the authors designed and conducted 20 in-depth interviews with doctors (and patients) about their past relationships with patients (and doctors). After putting the recorded interviews through qualitative analysis with a three-level coding activity, the authors built an empirically informed model to classify patient–physician relationships. Findings: The authors identified four archetypes of patient–physician relationships. Each archetype is described along with its representing characteristics and explained in terms of its consequences as they relate to VCC and DM. Research limitations/implications: This research contributes to the literature on both VCC in healthcare and DM, in addition to the patient–physician's relationship literature. Practical implications: Being aware of patient–physician relationship mechanics, building long-term relations with patients and investing in service personalization and patient-centred care can effectively mitigate the risks of DM behaviours on one side while increasing the likelihood of VCC actualization on the other. Originality/value: Although strictly linked to the interactions between patients and doctors, VCC and DM are typically considered disentangled. In this research paper, the authors identified four archetypes of patient–physician relationships in relation to these two phenomena.