INBW24: Are Patients Consumers?

Are patients consumers? Defining the terms patient and consumer will get us started here and also provide the insight and common understanding that we need to tackle this seemingly elusive question.

Patient (adjective): able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Synonyms: forbearing, uncomplaining, tolerant, long-suffering, resigned, and stoical. Definition two (noun): a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment.

I'll get to the number one adjective definition of patient soon enough—don't you worry—but to start, let's consider number two (noun) for about T minus 5 seconds. You'll notice "a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment" could mean pretty much any adult or child human with an appointment at any health care facility.

Moving on. Consumer (noun): a person who purchases goods and services for personal use; a person or thing that eats or uses something.

Similar to the term patient, a consumer could be anyone anywhere at any time who purchases anything or uses anything. The definition doesn't separate informed consumers from ill-informed consumers and then postulate that ill-informed consumers are actually not consumers, and I can see why: This path would get dark really fast.

If we're looking at the literal answer here and I wanted to be obtuse, I could correctly say that the literal answer to the question, "Are patients consumers?" is yes. Consumers are people who use something, and they pay for something. Patients use health care and sometimes they pay for it, so literally patients are consumers as per Webster's dictionary definitions. But let's look at the not-literal answer.

When not hosting the show, Stacey is co-president of Aventria Health Group, a marketing agency and consultancy. Aventria specializes in helping pharmaceutical, employer, pharmacy, and health system clients improve patient outcomes by creating and leveraging collaborations with other health care organizations. For more than 20 years, Stacey has innovated better-coordinated health solutions benefiting all stakeholders and, most of all, the patient.

02:32 Why patients are not consumers. 02:41 A better way to define consumer. 03:15 When "patients are not consumers" is even more correct. 03:40 Where the definition of consumer starts to devolve or evolve. 04:17 The definition of consumer according to an article by The Hastings Center.05:01 The "consumer metaphor" and eroding physician professionalism. 05:26 The problematic points at demonizing the consumer patient. 06:36 EP205 with Maya Dusenbery.08:59 How "patient" may not be the best way to define our goals for the patient experience. 10:34 "It is tough to be a consumer when you don't have the information that you need to be one." 13:08 The paradox: Patients are not, and also are, consumers. 13:31 "The question itself is the answer." 13:41 "Patients … are basically incapable of achieving health care consumer status in this country today." 13:57 Things to consider for those who don't think patients should try to be consumers. 15:21 "If you're a patient … do the best you can to be a good health care consumer." 15:59 Tips for being a good health care consumer. 16:30 Articles on how to be a good consumer online.17:00 "It pays to be suspicious." 17:15 Get second, third, and fourth opinions from subspecialists.