Chapter 2 Lecture

Becoming a Wise Consumer

Consumerism

  • Sources of Consumer Information:

    • New releases
    • Public service media campaigns
    • Publications for women
    • Publications for families
    • Health care providers
    • Toll-free hotlines
    • Governmental Clearinghouse Services
    • Advertisements via various mediums

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

• Established standards for the privacy of individuals
• The Privacy Rule requires that:

    • patients receive information about their privacy rights
    • that privacy procedures is adopted in hospitals and practices
    • that employees are trained to understand the privacy procedures
    • that a designated individual be in charge of privacy procedure
    • that patient records be secured

Choosing a Health Care Provider

  • Health care providers included a variety of medical practitioners which are divided into 3 groups:

    • Independent practitioners who have been trained and licensed, e.g., medical physicians, nurse practitioners
    • Independent practitioners with restricted practices, i.e., podiatrists, dentists, optometrists, mental health therapists
    • Ancillary practitioners who practice only under the supervision of a medical practitioner, e.g., physical therapist, midwife, physician’s assistant

Health Care Delivery

• The socioeconomic circumstances and roles of women continue to change
• Health care for women is the responsibility of:

    • Health care system
    • Health-related institutions
    • Women (self-responsibility)

• An awareness of the differences in needs of all women need to be addressed
• Removal of barriers to quality health care services is essential for women’s needs
• A health care delivery system that addresses all women must be accessible, culturally relevant, affordable, and available

 

Home Health Tests

• At-home methods used to determine the status of one’s health
• Can lower costs, monitor chronic conditions, and detect early health problems
• 3 types of tests:

    • Diagnostic tests, e.g., pregnancy
    • Continuous monitoring tests, e.g., blood pressure
    • Screening tests, e.g., cholesterol

• When used properly, this test can provide accurate and cost-effective results

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

  • Also known as CAM, has been defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not considered to be part of conventional Western medicine
  • Currently, 42 percent of U.S. citizens report that they used at least one CAM therapy
  • The American public is currently spending over $27 billion on various CAM's
  • Women, with higher education levels, are more likely more than men to use CAMs
  • People seek CAM to seek therapies that are considered a step beyond treatment

Popular forms of CAM

  • Herbalism
  • Acupuncture
  • Chiropractic Care
  • Yoga
  • Massage
  • Holistic Medicine
  • Naturopathic Medicine
  • Aromatherapy

Health Quackery

  • U.S. citizens spend over $15 billion annually on a variety of products that promise a quick fix or promise
  • The FDA defines health quackery as the promotion of a medical remedy that does not work and has been known to be unproven
  • Spend the extra time to research the facts before purchasing or spending your money on unwanted products or procedures that will not be effective or can be even dangerous to your overall health

Prescription Drugs

Pills

  • The FDA regulates and has approved over 2,500 prescription drugs for:

    • Form
    • Strength
    • Safety
    • Purity
    • Effectiveness
    • Method of administration

  • Prescription drugs have three names:

    • Generic name
    • Chemical name
    • Brand name

Understanding Drug Labels

  • Labels provide:

    • Patient’s Name
    • Physician’s Name
    • Pharmacy Name, Address, Phone Number
    • Name of the Drug
    • Dosage
    • Strength of Drug
    • Special Instructions

Using Prescription Drugs Safely

• Side Effects
• Health Tips: Guidelines When Taking Medications
• Benefits of using preventative and healing drugs outweigh any risks that you might encounter

Over the Counter Drugs

• More than 80 therapeutic categories with more than 100,000 drug products of over-the-counter products available without a prescription today
• Active ingredients of OTC drugs are assigned to one of three categories (FDA, 1972)

    •  GRAS (generally recognized as safe)
    • GRAE (generally recognized as effective)
    • GRAHL (generally recognized as honestly labeled)
  •  
  • OTC drugs have the following characteristics:
    • Benefits outweigh the risks
    • Potential for abuse is low
    • Consumers can use them for self-diagnosed conditions
    • They are properly labeled
    • Health practitioners are not needed for safe use

OTC Drugs Used by Women

• Rising medical costs are a major concern for women who have little money available for professional health care
• Self-diagnosis is on the increase, leading to the purchase of more OTC drugs
• Some of the major categories of OTC drugs purchased by women are:

    • Weight Management Products (diet pills, creams, supplements)
    • Laxatives (medicinal aid to help the body eliminate waste products)
    • Sleep Aids (antihistamines such as diphen-hydramine and doxylamine succinate)

It is strongly recommended that women avoid all medication during pregnancy

Drug Use and Pregnancy

  • Educated, married, white women with higher than average incomes were more likely to use legal drugs, especially OTC products, while pregnant
  • Women must be aware that each pregnancy is unique, and the best approach is to avoid exposing the fetus to unnecessary drug substances
  • It is strongly recommended that women avoid all medication, both prescription and OTC, if possible during pregnancy

Beauty-Enhancing Products

  • Cosmetics are “articles other than soap which are applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance” (U.S. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act)
  • Cosmetics are classified into 13 categories
  • Those containing dangerous substances cannot be placed on the market

Beauty-Enhancing Procedures

  • Cosmetic Surgery is more prevalent than ever in our society
  • A Cosmetic Surgeon specializes in procedures that enhance appearance
  • A Plastic Surgeon is trained in reconstructive surgery
  • When selecting either, look for the following:
    • Board-certified Physician
    • Experience in the procedure you select
    • Recommendation
    • Remains current with new procedures
    • Communicates well regarding pros and cons
    • Has privileges at local area hospitals

Types of Cosmetic Procedures

  • Eyelid lift (blepharoplasty)
  • Neck/face-lift (rhytidectomy)
  • Forehead/brow lift
  • Liposuction
  • Chin (mentoplasy) or cheek (malar) augmentationNose job (rhinoplasty)
  • Chemical peel (phenol)
  • Dermabrasion
  • Collagen injections
  • Breast augmentation

Effects of Advertising

• Consumers must follow the concept of caveat emptor (Buyer Beware!)
• Consumers should be able to trust that information presented by advertisements is accurate and truthful
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established in 1914 to protect citizens from unfair business practices
• Even with protective laws and agencies, consumers must still be aware, informed, and conscientious about products promoted by advertisers

Types of Advertising Techniques

• Bandwagon
• Testimonials
• Nonverbal/visuals
• Humor, slogans
• Power words
• Scientific evidence
• Superior
• Emotions and Attitudes

Unrealistic Portrayals of Women

• When advertisers promote products to women, the message is often deceiving
• Causing feelings of dissatisfaction makes women vulnerable to certain advertisers
• Many advertisements depict women as frivolous, superficial, ignorant, and incapable of doing difficult tasks
• There are not many advertisements showing women in home or family settings

Realistic Portrayals of Women

• How about another view?
• Advertisers must place more emphasis on portraying women as capable, confident, and caring—as individuals who want factual information about products and services, not as individuals preoccupied by looks and images.

Health Insurance

There are 3 basic insurance plans:

  • Private, fee for service plan
    • Preferred providers organizations (PPO)
  • Prepaid group insurance
    • Health maintenance organizations (HMO)
  • Government financed insurance
    • Medicare (paid by Social Security benefits)
    • Medicaid

• Women and children are disproportionately represented among all uninsured individuals
• Women also have difficulty assessing health care due to health coverage gaps
• Disparities still exist between women of color vs. white women with regards to health insurance

Taking Action as a Consumer

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the responsibility to regulate foods, drugs, and related products
• The FDA also offers a variety of services to assist consumers with concerns related to products under its control

    • Consumer Affairs Officers (COAs) are located throughout the U.S. and under the jurisdiction of the FDA
  • Individual states regulate licensing of health professionals and products that do not cross state lines