PATIENT OR CLIENT IF IN DOUBT, ASK

DO PEOPLE SEEKING HEALTH CARE prefer to be called ''patients'' or ''cl ients''? To try and answer this question the author surveyed 101 peopl e attending a back-pain clinic and found that most (74) preferred ''pa tient.'' Given the implicit assumptions inherent in the use of specifi c labels, the author advises clinicians to evaluate carefully the atti tudinal implications of using a particular term and to ensure that pre ferences are respected.