Consumerism: Selecting Health Care Products and Services

1. 22 Consumerism:Selecting Health Care Products and Services

2. Objectives • Explain why responsible consumerism is important to Americans today and how to encourage consumers to take action. • Explain why self-diagnosis, self-help, and self-care are becoming increasingly important in our quest for health and well being. • Compare choices in prescription and over-the-counter drugs. • Discuss the choices available to Americans who seek health care through allopathic aveneues.

3. Objectives (continued) • Describe the U.S. health care system. • Discuss key issues in American health care services in terms of cost, quality, and access to services. • Discuss the different types of health insurance available in the United States.

4. Responsible Consumerism • Attracting consumers’ dollars – manufacturers design marketing campaigns to sell their product • Putting cure into perspective – falling victim to false health claims • Spontaneous remission – disappearance of symptoms without any apparent cause or treatment • Placebo effect – an apparent cure or improved state of health brought about by a treatment that has no recognized therapeutic value

5. Taking Responsibility for Your Health Care • Learn how, when, and where to engage the health care system without incurring unnecessary risk and expense • Self-help or self-care – know your body; pay attention to signals; take action to improve your health • When to seek help – a serious injury; severe chest pains; trauma to head, neck, or spine; high temperature • Assessing health professionals – select a health professional who is qualified and that you are comfortable with

6. Choices in Health Products • Prescription: • Antibiotics • Sedatives • Tranquilizers • Antidepressants • Generic drugs • Over-the-counter (OTC)

7. How Prescription Drugs Become OTC Drugs • The drug has been marketed as a prescription drug for 3 years • The use of the drug has been relatively high during the time it was available as a prescription drug • Adverse drug reactions are not alarming, potential adverse effects are printed on the label, and frequency of side effects has not increased during the time it was available to the public

8. Types of OTC Drugs • Analgesics • Cold, cough, allergy, and asthma relievers: • Expectorants • Antitussives • Antihistamines • Decongestants • Anticholinergics • Stimulants • Sleeping aids and relaxants • Dieting aids

9. Table 22.2 Some Side Effects of OTC Drugs Table 22.2

10. Rules for Proper OTC Drug Use • Always know what you are taking • Know the effects • Read the warnings and cautions • Do not use anything longer than 1 or 2 weeks • Be cautious if you are also taking prescription drugs • Ask the pharmacist if you have questions • If you do not need it, do not take it

11. Drug Interaction • Polydrug use – taking several medications or illicit drugs simultaneously • Synergism – the interaction of two or more drugs in which the effects of the individual drugs are multiplied beyond what would normally be expected if taken alone • Antagonism – drugs work at the same receptor site and one drug blocks the actions of another • Intolerance – occurs when drugs combine in the body to produce extremely uncomfortable reactions • Cross-tolerance – occurs when a person develops a physiological tolerance to one drug and shows a similar tolerance to selected other drugs

12. Women and Medication • Women menstruate, can become pregnant, and go through menopause – these normal functions all affect how a woman’s body reacts to medication • Penicillin, some sleeping pills, tuberculosis drugs, and anxiety drugs can keep oral contraceptives from working • Women who breastfeed should consult their physician regarding any medication use

13. Allopathic medicine Primary care practitioner Osteopaths Ophthalmologist Optometrist Dentist Orthodontist Oral surgeon Nurse Physician assistant Choices in Medical Care

14. Health Care Organizations, Programs, and Facilities • Medical practices: • Group practice • Solo practitioners • Integrated health care organizations: • Nonprofit hospitals • For-profit hospitals

15. Issues Facing Today’s Health Care System • Costs – $1.4 trillion is spent annually on health care in the U.S. • Access – some communities are underserved, some people cannot afford health care • Quality and malpractice – 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year due to medical errors

16. Figure 22.2 Where Do We Spend Our Health Care Dollars? Figure 22.2

17. Third-Party Payers • Policyholders pay premiums into a pool, which fills as reserves until needed • When you are sick or injured, your insurance company pays out of the pool, regardless of your total contribution • Unfortunately, not everyone has insurance • Private Health Insurance • Medicare or Medicade • Managed care • HMOs • PPOs • POS

18. What Are Your Options? • The United States and South Africa are the only two industrialized nations in the world that do not have a national health program that guarantees all citizens access to basic health benefits