Enhancing Consumer Involvement in Health Care: The Dynamics of Control, Empowerment, and Trust

Abstract

The author presents a value-based model of consumer involvement and preventive health care behavior. Through in-depth interviews, consumer views were elicited on three health care policy issues—health information use, the patient-physician relationship, and health compliance. Value maps are developed that explain the motivations and desired outcomes underlying consumer health care involvement and behavior. The author discusses the dynamics of control, empowerment, and trust and introduces a value-based conceptual model of health care involvement and preventive behavior incorporating these values. He concludes by offering implications for enhancing comsumer involvement in social marketing health care programs.