How should we refer to people attending sexual health services; patients, clients, users or customers?
Colin Fitzpatrick A B , Aman Bedi A and Mary Stewart AA Clinic 16, Royal North Shore Hospital, 2C Herbert Street, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: colly980@hotmail.co.uk
Sexual Health 17(2) 192-193 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH19199
Submitted: 8 November 2019 Accepted: 26 November 2019 Published: 13 March 2020
Abstract
Within the healthcare domain, commercial-sector terminology such as ‘client’, ‘customer’ and ‘user’ are replacing the previously acceptable collective noun, ‘patient’. Is the term we use important to the individuals accessing our services? A paper survey collected the responses of 581 individuals attending the service between August and October 2019. Overall, 372/496 (75%) (95% CI = 71.2–78.8%) unique responses reported a preference to the term ‘patient’, while only 92/496 (19%) (95% CI = 15.1–22.0%) preferred ‘client’, 23/496(5%) (95% CI = 2.8–6.5%) ‘customer’ and 9/496 (2%) (95% CI = 0.6–3.0%) ‘user’. In line with other published data, we acknowledge that people attending our service prefer to be referred to as ‘patient’ above all else.
Additional keywords: appropriate terminology, nurse-led research, patient choice.
References
[1] Oxford Dictionary of English. (2nd edn). Definition of ‘patient’. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 1989.[2] Loudon J, Baird A, Haider Z, Sein E, Prabakar I, Gebbie A. Patients, clients, users or customers: what should we call people attending sexual health services? J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2012; 38 19–22.
| Patients, clients, users or customers: what should we call people attending sexual health services?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21804132PubMed |
[3] Plastow M. The intrusion of the discourse of economics into the clinical space III: economic rationalism and clinical effects Australas Psychiatry 2010; 18 408–12.
| The intrusion of the discourse of economics into the clinical space III: economic rationalism and clinical effectsCrossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20863178PubMed |
[4] Ramdass MJ, Naraynsingh V, Maharaj D, Badloo K, Teelucksingh S, Perry A. Question of ‘patients’ versus ‘clients’. J Qual Clin Pract 2001; 21 14–5.
| Question of ‘patients’ versus ‘clients’.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 11422710PubMed |
[5] Naseem A, Balon R, Khan S. Customer, client, consumer, recipient, or patient. Ann Clin Psychiatry 2001; 13 239–40.
| Customer, client, consumer, recipient, or patient.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 11958366PubMed |
