Illness behaviour and patient satisfaction as correlates of self-referral in Japan.
BACKGROUND
Patients who frequently change physicians without letters of referral are common, and this has become a source of concern among primary care doctors in Japan. Previous studies have shown a correlation between psychiatric disorders and patient dissatisfaction and the utilization of medical resources. Abnormal illness behaviours such as hypochondria and inappropriate treatment seeking have been associated with various psychiatric disorders. The relationship between illness behaviour and self-referral in Japan has yet to be fully explored.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to describe the characteristic illness behaviour and satisfaction level of self-referred patients in the general medicine clinic of Saga Medical School Hospital.


METHODS
Using the Japanese version of the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (J-IBQ), we examined the illness behaviour of 277 self-referred patients visiting the clinic. Patient satisfaction with previous medical care was examined with the use of our original Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. The results were compared with those for physician-referred patients.


RESULTS
Self-referred patients differed significantly from original-visit patients on the GH (general hypochondriasis), DC (disease conviction), AD (affect disturbance) and I (irritability) scales and from physician-referred patients on the GH and DC scales. In comparison with physician-referred patients, self-referred patients showed significant dissatisfaction with their most recent medical visit elsewhere. Dissatisfaction toward the medical staff, especially the doctors, was stronger than that toward the medical environment, waiting time or the on-site medical equipment.


CONCLUSIONS
It is important to give patients appropriate overall support, not only physical but also emotional, when they first visit a general physician for medical advice. The J-IBQ may be a useful instrument for primary identification of self-referral patients with probable somatization syndromes. Open doctor-doctor and patient-doctor communication is necessary to increase patient satisfaction, which may be helpful to minimize the self-referral phenomenon in Japan.
Department of General Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Saga Medical School, Saga, Nabeshima 5-1-1, Saga 849-8501, Japan. g9817@post.saga-med.ac.jp
Yingqiu
Y
Guo
Toshihide
T
Kuroki
Seiji
S
Yamashiro
Shunzo
S
Koizumi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012803:Sick Role