Overview
This lecture covers the essential aspects of consumer health, including making informed choices, identifying health products and services, recognizing fraudulent practices, and understanding consumer rights and protection agencies.
Components of Consumer Health
- Consumer health involves making wise decisions about health products and services.
- It consists of three components: health information, health products, and health services.
- Health information is data, advice, or concepts from various sources to aid health; reliability is crucial.
- Reliable sources include medical professionals, government agencies, and educational websites.
- Unreliable sources include outdated customs, superstitions, incomplete info, and quackery.
- Health products include food, drugs, cosmetics, devices, vaccines, and more—regulated by the FDA.
- Guidelines for purchasing: evaluate usefulness, know protective laws, seek dependable services, and apply health knowledge.
- Tips for wise consumers: gather information, compare products, and seek reviews.
Health Services and Providers
- Health services include medical, dental, surgical, nursing, and complementary care.
- Health professionals are licensed individuals such as doctors and nurses.
- Health care facilities include hospitals (general and specialty), walk-in surgery centers, health centers, and extended care facilities.
- Health insurance helps cover medical costs (e.g., PhilHealth).
- Health service programs: feeding, immunization, prenatal care, family planning, and maternity clinics.
Healthcare Providers vs. Fraudulent Services
- Healthcare providers are licensed professionals; fraudulent services are given by quacks (unqualified individuals).
- Types of physicians: pediatrician, psychiatrist, obstetrician, ophthalmologist, anesthesiologist, dermatologist, cardiologist, allergist, pulmonologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, geriatrician, surgeon, urologist, gynecologist.
- Quackery promotes unproven products or cures, often resulting in financial loss, delayed healing, and health risks.
- Forms of quackery: medical, nutrition, and device quackery.
Complementary and Alternative Health Care Modalities
- Complementary and alternative medicine is used alongside standard treatments but is not standard itself.
- Major domains: biology-based (herbal medicine), manipulative/body-based, energy medicine, and mind-body medicine.
- Ten DOH-approved medicinal herbs: acapulco, ampalaya, bawang, lagundi, bayabas, niyog-niyogan, pansit-pansitan, sambong, tsaang gubat, yerba buena.
- DOH-approved alternative practices: acupuncture, reflexology, nutrition therapy, acupressure, ventosa massage.
Consumer Welfare and Protection
- Main consumer health laws: Consumer Act of the Philippines, enforced by BFAD, DOH, and DTI.
- BFAD regulates food, drugs, and cosmetics, and handles complaints.
- DOH sets policy, inspects establishments, and ensures product safety.
- DTI monitors trade, product quality, prices, and advertisements.
- International agencies: IFPI (food protection), FDA (food/drug safety), WHO (global health).
- 8 basic consumer rights: safety, redress, basic needs, representation, choice, consumer education, healthy environment.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Consumer Health — Making informed decisions about health products, services, and information.
- Quackery — Fraudulent health practices or unproven treatments.
- Health Professional — Licensed provider of medical or allied health care.
- Health Insurance — Financial plan for covering health care costs.
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine — Non-standard treatments used alongside conventional medical care.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the 10 DOH-approved medicinal herbs and their uses.
- Familiarize yourself with the 8 consumer rights.
- Identify reliable sources for health information and services.
- Read your module’s first quarter section on consumer health.