The discourse of generational segmentation and the

Authors: Jamiu O Busari

Publish Date: 2013/04/16

Volume: 2, Issue: 5-6, Pages: 340-348

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Abstract

The growing demands for easily accessible cost effective and efficient health care services are hindering many medical training programs in delivering well prepared physicians equipped with the competencies to tackle new and complex health care problems In addition to this many medical institutions are finding it difficult to design curricula that would prepare today’s physicians adequately for the ongoing changes in health care Targeted customer service is a growing phenomenon in health care where healthcare institutions are operating as retail service providers design experiences and deliver care around the convenience of consumers rather than the preferences of providers Gradually finding its way into medical education this concept entails investing in understanding the beliefs and values of consumers as a result of their different expectations and differences Defined by the experiences that create common values among the members of a specific group the discourse of generation segmentation has proven to be a helpful way of understanding consumer differences There are four known generations currently impacting the pattern and distribution of healthcare services and in the coming decade the future of medical education In this paper medical education is reexamined in the light of this phenomenon of generation segmentation and whether today’s physicians are being effectively prepared to practice in a fast changing world The analysis provided in this paper presents a recommendation for the medical curriculum of a new millennium based on the changing needs and expectations of different generations of consumersHealth care delivery and health professions education are at major crossroads in many countries today It is thought that due to increased demands for easily accessible and costeffective health care services today’s practising physicians and those in training may no longer be capable of delivering the sort of care 21st century patients would need 1 Also with the current pace and increasing complexity of the changes in health care it is becoming increasingly difficult for care providers to effectively manage the health care needs of their communities 1 Each year it is estimated that about one million physicians are trained in more than 2000 medical schools and an estimated 100 billion/year is spent on health professions education globally In addition the average cost of tuition for each graduate medical student is set at approximately 113000/year with unit costs being highest in North America and lowest in China 2In North America and Europe the average time spent in medical training to become specialist physicians is between 5 and 7 years in addition to the 3–5 years spent in undergraduate medical school The past few years have however witnessed a rethinking of current training practices and many think that the duration of the medical training is too long They argue that medical training programmes can be shortened considerably without any serious consequences to the outcome of the programmes It is thought that by fostering attention on the essential content of the programmes and forcing educational institutions to eliminate unnecessary and repetitious material in the curriculum an average of 14 years of training running through college to the speciality fellowship period could significantly be reduced by approximately 4 years Bearing in mind that the average medical student in the United States graduates with an estimated 160000 in debt 4 years less of medical school would be significant in lowering tuition debts of trainees 3While the pressures on health care systems and the costs of care are rising new challenges to the traditional system of health care delivery are also emerging New stakeholders are entering the business of health care in many countries disrupting and redefining how health care can be accessed 4 Health care has also turned into a consumer market where patients ie the consumers have found ways to navigate the complexities of various health care systems by comparing service quality and costs of care 5 As a result health care institutions are operating as retail service providers designing experiences and delivering care around the convenience of consumers rather than the preferences of providers They have also had to invest in understanding the beliefs and values of the consumers they serve because of their different expectations from the health care system ie targeted consumer services 6 This phenomenon of ‘targeted customer service’ in health care is a growing concept within medical education and it is expected to influence and shape the future training of physicians considerablyGaining increasing popularity around the mid1990s the concept of generation segmentation has proven to be a helpful means of understanding consumer differences and how knowledge of this can be used to provide specific services Although defining ‘generations’ is not an exact science as the breakdown is subjective and generalized marketers and journalists use these groupings in targeting their marketing to particular age groups There is the tendency for disagreement about the time frames covered by the generations the names given to them and probably overgeneralizations of the personalities Nonetheless generations can be defined by the experiences that create common values among the members of a specific group There are four generations that have been identified as currently impacting the pattern and distribution of a number of services that includes the health care system namely the Greatest Generation the Baby Boomers the Gen Xers and the Millennials 7 8 9The members of the Greatest Generation—1925–1944—went through the Great Depression and served during World War II Characterized by duty and sacrifice the Greatest Generation value credentials as an indication of expertise They generally accept authority and tend to follow society’s rules The Baby Boomers—1945–1964—on their part grew up amidst great prosperity and believe that they can change the world They experienced the Civil Rights movement the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution Unlike the Greatest Generation Boomers have a history of challenging traditional institutions and values They feel that institutions have failed to handle societal needs responsibly and believe that rules are to be followed only if they can deliver the goods if not ‘they are made to be broken or modified’ The Gen Xers—1965–1984—grew up in a difficult time socially and financially While their Boomer parents were striving for selffulfilment and monetary success they were often ‘latch key’ children Gen Xers trust themselves and their peers rather than corporations and are described as the most selfsufficient and sceptical generation They are considered the most loyal employees and flatly reject the Boomers workaholic approach They invest loyalty in a person rather than an establishment Finally the Millenials/Gen Yers—1985–2005—are considered to be the most threatened and protected generation in history Compared with previous generations Millennials are excessively insulated with an unprecedented amount of parental supervision and advocacy They are collaborative tolerant and comfortable with speed and change they feel at home with multitasking and multiple forms of electronic/digital media Their perception of life and world events has been formed through the lens of digital technology eg personal computers and Smartphones 10

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