Patient, consumer, client, or customer: what do people want to be called?
OBJECTIVE
To clarify preferred labels for people receiving health care.


BACKGROUND
The proper label to describe people receiving care has evoked considerable debate among providers and bio-ethicists, but there is little evidence as to the preferences of the people involved.


METHODS
We analysed dictionary definitions as to the derivation and connotations of such potential labels as: patient, client, customer, consumer, partner and survivor. We then surveyed outpatients from four clinical populations in Ontario, Canada about their feelings about these labels.


METHODS
People from breast cancer (n = 202), prostate disease (n = 202) and fracture (n = 202) clinics in an urban Canadian teaching hospital (Sharpe study), and people with HIV/AIDS at 10 specialty care clinics and three primary care practices affiliated with the HIV Ontario Observational Database (n = 431). VARIABLES AND OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey instruments included questions about opinion of label, role in treatment decision-making (the Problem Solving Decision Making scale), trust, use of information and health status.


RESULTS
Our respondents moderately liked the label 'patient'. The other alternatives evoked moderate to strong dislike.


CONCLUSIONS
Many alternatives to 'patient' incorporate assumptions (e.g. a market relationship) which care recipients may also find objectionable. People who are receiving care find the label 'patient' much less objectionable than the alternatives that have been suggested.
Deber
Raisa B
RB
Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, ON, Canada. raisa.deber@utoronto.ca
Kraetschmer
Nancy
N
Urowitz
Sara
S
Sharpe
Natasha
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D009626:Terminology as Topic