Super Smart Health

Who Are We on our Journey of Health –
Patient, Consumer, User, or Seeker?

by Daniel Friedland | Feb 28, 2009 03:19:00 PM

On the home page of this website I’ve mentioned that this resource is offered to healthcare providers and patients. I’ve wrestled over the use of the word “patients.” I’ve used the term simply because it is well recognized, but at the potential expense of the full spirit for whom the website is intended: individuals who are looking to be more fully empowered in their ability to partner with their providers in decisions around their healthcare.

The root of the word “patients” comes from the Latin, “patiens,” one who suffers. On one hand the term does capture a dimension of the relationship between healer and patient. Many patients suffer from fragmentation of mind, body and spirit. The role of healer then is to restore patients back to an experience of essential wholeness, which as mentioned on the home page, is the root of the word “health” (and “healer”).

On the other hand, not all who search for knowledge, support and inspiration in health suffer. And some may feel the word, “patient,” subordinates them in a relationship with their healthcare provider.

So what are the descriptive alternatives for “patient?” Nancy Turett, the Global President for Health at Edelman, an independent global PR firm, has written a thought provoking blog which discusses the limitations of other commonly used terms such as health “consumer” or health “user.”

Many searching for health information are not looking to consume more, and would not identify with the term health “consumer”. If anything many would like to consume less. Rampant consumption is often a symptom of the need to escape underlying stress and anxiety, which may exacerbate the experience of dis-ease and ill health.

The term health “user” is commonly used by the technology industry. As much as technology empowers humanity it can also sterilize it. While individuals do “use” resources, they do and are far more.

So what term best describes the whole essence of an individual searching for information to empower their health and well-being. Nancy Turett offers, “people” or “individuals.” These terms are certainly more holistic than the others, but may be too indiscriminant, because individuals provide and receive care, and this does not distinguish between for physicians and patients for example.

The term I favor is “health seeker.” It is a term that can be substituted for patient, consumer and user, but does not require an individual be suffering, consuming or using. While one may seek knowledge support and inspiration to restore a sense of wholeness, one can also be experiencing wholeness and seek all the same. It the essence of being human, the desire to seek, grow and experience the full vitality life has to offer.

At SuperSmartHealth it is our mission to empower you as a smart health seeker with skills and resources to find knowledge support, support and inspiration on your journey of health.

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