To explore the relationship between doctors’ exposure to doctor-patient conflict information and defensive medical behavior and its psychological mechanisms, this study, based on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), conducted a survey of 216 doctors from various levels of hospitals in China to investigate the impact of interpersonal and media channels of doctor-patient conflict information exposure on their perceived severity, susceptibility, self-efficacy, response efficacy, fear, and defensive medical behavior. Data analysis and model testing were performed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1. Results showed that interpersonal exposure to doctor-patient conflict information was positively correlated with perceived susceptibility and negatively correlated with perceived self-efficacy. Media exposure to doctor-patient conflict information was positively correlated with perceived severity and susceptibility, and negatively correlated with perceived self-efficacy. Perceived severity and susceptibility positively predicted fear. Perceived self-efficacy and response efficacy were negatively correlated with fear, and fear positively predicted defensive medical behavior. Mediation analysis showed that perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy had significant sequential mediation effects between interpersonal conflict information exposure and defensive medical behavior. Perceived severity, susceptibility, and self-efficacy had significant sequential mediation effects between media conflict information exposure and defensive medical behavior. This study revealed the differential psychological mechanisms behind the impact of interpersonal and media exposure to doctor-patient conflict information on doctors’ defensive medical behavior.