Hey Madeleine, thanks for thoughtfully posing this question here! Rather than trying to answer, I’ll add a few more questions…
Is the decision about word choice made because of preference (of people involved in giving or receiving care, or other stakeholders), effectiveness towards other ends, or values and vision alignment (“the bigger picture”), or some combination of these? And, if the answer is (primarily) preference, or the word’s effectiveness, is it a coherent strategy to use different words in different contexts?
My sense is that the support for bringing in business terms, such as “client” or “customer”, is basically support for bringing more respect and dignity to a system’s design and people’s day-to-day experiences. That said, I don’t think that business gives us the only framework for respectful human interaction. I’m interested in health systems that work for everyone, and I’m interested in reclaiming the word “patient” by helping create dignified experiences when someone needs care from someone else. I’m also open to using words like people, grandfather, shop owner when its preferred and effective, meeting a person where they are.