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Stanley J. Reiser, MD, PhD
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

JAMA. 1993;270(4):451.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In Reply.

—I heartily agree with the suggestion of Dr Banner that consumers can play a significant role in the continuing education of physicians. To bring the experiences of people who have encountered illness and therapy to the dispensers of that therapy and to have them hear firsthand about their therapy's effects would do much to improve medical care.

In response to Dr Papp, as I used the terms in my essay, consumers are lay persons who use medical knowledge and services when both well and ill, while patients are consumers of services who are ill. Papp objects to the concept of consumers. What does he wish to call people who are not sick and are involved with health care, for example, as participants in health promotion programs? All those who use the health care system are not patients.

He is equally concerned about bringing the experiences of those who . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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