consumer: a person who is receiving health care assistance for any reason (ie including people who are not actually unwell, such as a woman having a baby or a person having a routine screening test). Changing use of patient to consumer also reflects a change in the relationship between people seeking health care advice or assistance and those providing the care, to one of a more equal partnership

patient: a person who is receiving health care. This term has the additional implied meaning that the person is unwell or sick; hence it has been replaced in many contexts with the term consumer