Perceived risks and benefits of medical remedies and procedures: What do men and women think?/Percepcao de riscos e beneficios em medicamentos e procedimentos medicos: O que pensam homens e mulheres?

• Published in: Revista de administração Mackenzie 2024-01, Vol.25 (1)
• Main Authors: Vieira, Kelmara Mendes, Flores, Silvia Amelia Mendonca, Mendes-Da-Silva, Wesley
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Developing countries; Human acts; Human behavior; Personal injuries; Pharmaceutical industry; Retirement benefits; Social aspects
• ISSN: 1518-6776
• DOI: 10.1590/1678-6971/eRAMG240026.en

Purpose: Are men more inclined to assume risks than women? The answer to this question is immediately relevant to various economic issues, including human behavior concerning medical remedies and procedures consumption. This paper aims to identify the perceived benefits of the consumption of medications centered on pharmaceutical risk assessment. Originality/value: The literature documents that risks and benefits can be considered the main trade-offs in consumer decision-making, including the pharmaceutical industry. It is a current theme with a high potential for social impact due to the many identified cases of Covid-19. In developing countries, most medication is used by self-medicating individuals, as access to health care can be insufficient. Self-medication is a potentially greater problem, as in this case, medication usage often follows advice from friends, relatives, and neighbors. Yet, there is little empirical evidence regarding this problem in the context of emerging countries. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of over 1,000 subjects using an extended regression model (ERM) in one of the biggest countries in the world, Brazil. Findings: The results reported that women perceive more risks and benefits from medication usage and medical procedures. The perception of the benefits of medications can be explained by the following dimensions: risk (personal injury, risk alertness, and risk awareness), gender, regular usage, and the benefits of medical procedures. Regarding risk dimensions, the lower the perceptions of personal injury and the higher the perceptions of risk alertness and risk awareness, the greater the perceived benefits of medication usage. Keywords: benefits, risks, gender, drugs, emerging countries Objetivo: Os homens estao mais inclinados a assumir riscos do que as mulheres? A resposta a essa pergunta e de relevancia imediata para varias questoes economicas, incluindo o comportamento humano em relacao ao consumo de medicamentos e procedimentos medicos. Este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar os beneficios percebidos do consumo de medicamentos, centrado na avaliacao do risco farmaceutico. Originalidade/valor: A literatura documenta que riscos e beneficios podem ser considerados os principais trade-offs na tomada de decisao do consumidor, inclusive na industria farmaceutica. E um tema atual com alto potencial de impacto social por causa dos muitos casos identificados de Covid-19. Nos paises em desenvolvimento, a maioria dos med