title: [Characteristics of health seeking behaviors for patients with psoriasis in a general hospital].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the characteristics of health seeking behaviors and relevant factors among the outpatients with psoriasis in a general hospital, and to provide scientific evidence to modify the inappropriate health seeking behaviors for psoriasis patients and improve the therapeutic effect.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using cross-sectional study design, a dermatological clinic in a general hospital was selected for this study. Two hundred psoriasis outpatients from 1st April to 30th September in 2014 were enrolled. A series of questionnaires were used to collect information regarding the social-demographic characteristics, health seeking behaviors, knowledge on psoriasis, and depressive and anxious symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 200 psoriasis outpatients, 141 patients (70.5%) experienced transfer treatment. One hundred and eighty-two patients (91.0%) went to formal hospitals in county for treatment when symptoms were firstly displayed; the other 18 patients (9.0%) went to village or community clinics, or the private clinics. Over 50% patients chose municipal hospital and 35.0% patients went to provincial hospital for medical treatment among the 182 patients. Ninety-one percent of the patients made decision for the first treatment after consulting with their spouses or relatives. According to the definition of the appropriate health seeking behavior in this study, 50 patients (25%) had inappropriate health seeking behaviors. Logistic regression analysis showed inappropriate health seeking behaviors correlated with the family whose income was less than 3 000 yuan per person per month (OR=2.232, 95%CI 1.086 to 4.585), patients who made the decision for the treatment with no discussion with other people when the symptoms appeared (OR=3.016, 95%CI 1.023 to 8.893), and the high score of the International Psoriasis Severity Index (OR=1.043, 95%CI 1.001 to 1.088).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dermatological practitioner should pay more attention to the factors, such as social-demographical characteristics, especially the low level of family income and their treatment experience. It is necessary for the general hospital to conduct health education for psoriasis outpatients to promote their appropriate health seeking behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermotology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008; School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Yangyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermotology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
authors.forename: Mingliang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermotology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermotology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D010045:Outpatients; D011565:Psoriasis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires