Behavior modalities of medical service consumers by disease: viewpoint of medical facilities and perceptions of consumers.

This study suggests the possibility that a patient with a mild ailment, such as a common cold, who is examined and diagnosed with diabetes at a clinic, may in the future be examined at a hospital even though treatment may be performed at a clinic. Furthermore, it may be possible to bring the consumer's selection of a medical facility closer to being the same as the hospital's selection by providing the consumer with treatment information. Regarding the role of the family physician in making broad diagnoses, there may be a need to educate not just the consumer, but also hospital administrators in Japan.