Patient or Customer?

[ksun91]

Do you consider the people you serve as patients or customers?

In the retail setting, I consider them to be customers. They can choose to come to your pharmacy or any other and the customer satisfaction level is extremely important. Being a good pharmacist is important, but being friendly and nice take priority.

In hospital, id say the opposite is true.

Opinions?

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[DnK71188]

Off-topic but did you know that it says pre-medical under your tag? Anyways in retail I would consider them as customers, as far as a hospital goes they are patients, but in some technical respects I would probably just consider them customers.

 

[xtsukiyox]

Just don't call them "clients." Julia Roberts ala Pretty Woman can explain why.

 

[pinksparkly]

I would say "patients."

People also have the opportunity to choose which physician they see (whose privileges often determine which hospital you wind up at). So they, too, are "customers.". For me, the term "patient" comes from the relationship in which a professional is providing healthcare (be it surgery or counseling on medication) to another person.

I go to a pretty pharm care-centered school, though. So that probably colors my viewpoint. But I am okay with that - viewing people as patients instead of customers invokes more of a sense of responsibility on behalf of the provider. That is how I would ideally approach things.

 

[crazybob]

I treat everyone like a patient.

Even if you think of them as "customers" the first time, you never know if they'll come back as a sick patient and need your professional opinion.

 

[delano2000]

Do you consider the people you serve as patients or customers?

In the retail setting, I consider them to be customers. They can choose to come to your pharmacy or any other and the customer satisfaction level is extremely important. Being a good pharmacist is important, but being friendly and nice take priority.

In hospital, id say the opposite is true.

Opinions?

You do know the same can be said for doctor offices too, right?

Anyways I still consider them patients.

 

[bacillus1]

Think of them as patients.
In retail, call them customers.
If you work for Target, call them guests.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Do you consider the people you serve as patients or customers?

In the retail setting, I consider them to be customers. They can choose to come to your pharmacy or any other and the customer satisfaction level is extremely important. Being a good pharmacist is important, but being friendly and nice take priority.

In hospital, id say the opposite is true.

Opinions?

I don't get this part. It doesn't matter how nice you are, if you're a "bad" pharmacist (which I take in a retail setting to mean failure on a regular basis to dispense the correct medication, to counsel properly, etc.) then you're doing a poor job even if everybody loves you. Being personable is great, but is never more important than competency. Maybe I'm misinterpreting your statement?

 

[FlavyFlav]

They're patients. We provide a healthcare service to them. Otherwise, they have no other reason to seek us out.

Of course, patients that just want me to ring up their cigarettes and beer and TP because "The line was too long up front" get bumped down to customers. (Caveat - if you initiate anti-smoking counseling, then they get bumped back up to patient).

Toodles!

 

[klj5269]

I'm not a pharmacist yet but I do work as a cashier in a pharmacy. They definitely pressure you for service like customers do at any other retail type of job and you do have to keep them happy and apologize for any mistakes that you may make or if they waited too long, things like that, just like customers at any store. So they are like... customers with health problems that make them even grumpier than other customers!

 

[DrDrugs2012]

Here's a better question: why cannot the individual be regarded as both patient AND customer simultaneously? Why must a dichotomy be artificially created?

 

[Digsbe]

They are patients. A pharmacy is a healthcare facility where healthcare professionals work to provide a healthcare service. You don't run a fastfood burger through insurance

 

[klj5269]

They are patients. A pharmacy is a healthcare facility where healthcare professionals work to provide a healthcare service. You don't run a fastfood burger through insurance

If you did a claim for a fast food burger on health insurance it would definitely be denied