ABSTRACT
Compared to the routinized socialization of physician and nursing cultures, adult health care consumer’s socialization is based on years of health care experiences from birth through adolescence. Americans learn how to be patients from observing parents and interacting with providers as children and teenagers. As a result, adult consumers tend to be more passive and providers often perceive the behavior as subservient with less desire for power and control in consumer–provider relationships and decision-making. Furthermore, providers use of the biomedical model minimizes consumers’ focus on wellness/prevention issues. Therefore, it should not be surprising that consumers tend to engage in risky behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, alcohol, drugs) that often result in deleterious health outcomes. Consequently, this acute care focus, coupled with a lack of power and control in the consumer–provider relationship, and/or inadequate information-sharing about prevention and wellness issues, are key reasons why America spends more on health care than any other country, but has lower life expectancy rates than many of its peers.
