Patient perception of well-being cannot be overlooked when measuring health. An impor- tant part of patient perception of well-being involves the concept that people alter their behavior when they perceive that they are unwell. Staying in bed and eating chicken soup are two common “sick role” behaviors. Perception is a key tool in measuring both mental health and social health, as people interpret stressors and relationships differently.
Patient perception, doctor opinion, and clinical testing are standard ways of measuring individual health status but do not offer a larger picture of community health status. Community health status is measured with statistics of the rates of occurrence of illness,
Where does your current total health fall on the health continuum? Can you think of a time when your health measured nearer the negative end?
Do you feel that patient perception is a reliable method of measurement for use in global decisions regarding heath issues?
disease, and death within a recognized group. This data, such as that shown in Figure 1.3, is used to influence public policy and the distribution of public resources.