Another dimension of patient-centered care delivery: understanding the nature of demand.

In designing effective and efficient care delivery systems, health care practitioners should address two major perspectives to patient-focused care--the micro approach, relating to the transaction between providers and health care consumers, and the macro approach, which focuses on understanding the nature of demand, as groups of consumers collectively select and use health care services. By better understanding the nature of demand, health care providers hold the key to designing more effective delivery systems and also the power to manage the demand for services, which may result in highly efficient care delivery.