title: Reassessing the Ecology of Medical Care in Japan.
abstract: Studies on ecology of medical care can provide valuable information on how people seek healthcare in a specific geographic area. The objective of this study was to update a 2003 report on the ecology of medical care in Japan, identifying relevant changes in healthcare patterns. We collected information based on a prospective health diary recorded for a month in 2013 (n = 4548; 3787 adults and 797 children) using a population-weighted random sample from a nationally representative panel. We compared our overall and stratified findings with a similar study conducted in 2003. During a one-month period, per 1000 adults and children living in Japan, we estimated that 794 report at least one symptom, 447 use an over-the-counter (OTC) drug, 265 visit a physician's office, 117 seek help from a professional provider of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM), 70 visit a hospital outpatient clinic (60 community-based and 10 university-based), 6 are hospitalized, and 4 visit a hospital emergency department. After adjusting for demographic variables, we found that healthcare seeking behaviors were influenced by age, gender and area of living. Compared with the 2003 study, participants in this study had fewer symptoms, fewer physician and emergency room visits, and less OTC use, but reported higher frequency of CAM use (p < .01 for all). Compared with 2003, reported symptoms, physician visits and OTC use has decreased, while CAM use has increased. Our findings may be useful to policymakers in Japan in a context where healthcare expenditure and a rapidly aging population are two challenging issues.
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's International Hospital, Akashi-cho 9-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan.|St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuguya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Mahbubur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohde
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's International Hospital, Akashi-cho 9-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan.|St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Kevin Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Urayama
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's International Hospital, Akashi-cho 9-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Omata
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's International Hospital, Akashi-cho 9-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan.|St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Gautam A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's International Hospital, Akashi-cho 9-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-8560, Japan. otakahas@luke.ac.jp.|St. Luke's Center for Clinical Academia, St. Luke's International University, 3-6-2 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045, Japan. otakahas@luke.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ecology; Health diary; Healthcare seeking behavior; Medical care; Physician visit