Medicine Grand Rounds, Stacy Wood “Medicine + Marketing: The New Role of Consumer Theory in Patient-Centric Care”

As the healthcare environment changes, patients increasingly see more personal control in their choice of doctors, therapies, and systems of care. From new models of tele-health to the ubiquitous direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads on TV, patients are shifting to a “customer mind-set” when they make health decisions and this has sweeping ramifications for healthcare providers.

In this lecture, internationally-recognized scholar in consumer theory and President-Elect of the Association for Consumer Research, Dr. Stacy Wood (the Langdon Distinguished University Professor of Marketing and Executive Director of the Consumer Innovation Collaborative, NC State University) will give a practical introduction into how consumer theory can be used by medical practitioners to improve patient choice environments, patient adherence, and patient satisfaction. Based on her research with physicians, she will discuss common pitfalls to avoid and exciting new arenas that combine the best of medicine with the best of marketing to promote patient well-being.