醫療服務(健康照護服務)雖以非營利導向為本質，但是處在當今講求營運績效與消費者意識覺醒的社會，如何從消費者與健康照護服務使用者的角度提供醫療與健康照護服務、滿足消費者的期望進而增進民眾健康與病人安全，瞭解行銷管理的概念仍有其必要。醫療服務與一般消費性的產品或服務有別，醫療機構亦與營利導向的產業有其本質上的差異。但是如何將醫療或健康照護資源的投入，經由消費者或病人導向的機制，創造健康照護服務供給者與民眾/病人雙贏的局面，行銷的概念能提供相當的助益。此外，公共衛生領域的行銷，本質上屬於社會行銷的一環，本課程涵蓋醫療與社會行銷，提供修課學生醫療與公衛行銷管理的基本概念。
Healthcare (health services) has been non-profit oriented in nature. However, health care services are not exempted from the societal norms of operation efficiency and consumer awareness. In order to understand the health care services from the perspective of consumer or healthcare service users, and to meet the consumers’ expectation and to enhance the health of the public and patient safety, healthcare marketing may provide opportunities to fulfill such an expectation.
Healthcare services are not the same as consumption commodities or services, healthcare institutes also differ from profit-driven industries. The concept of marketing may contribute in transferring input resources to a win-win situation among provides, the public, and patients via consumers or patients oriented mechanism. In addition, marketing in the domain of public health has many similarities with social marketing principles. This course will provide students with fundamental marketing concepts in healthcare and public health.