# Study on the medical behaviors of residents in Yicheng District of Zhumadian

## TL;DR

This study explores how residents in Yicheng District choose healthcare services, highlighting a preference for larger hospitals and self-diagnosis, and suggests ways to improve primary healthcare.

## Contribution

The study applies Anderson’s healthcare utilization model to analyze medical behavior in a specific Chinese district, revealing patterns and proposing targeted solutions.

## Key findings

- Residents show a strong tendency toward self-diagnosis.
- Higher-level and familiar medical institutions are preferred over lower-level or unfamiliar ones.
- Primary medical institutions lack sufficient service capabilities.

## Abstract

The current healthcare system layout is not adequate, with insufficient high-quality medical resources and unreasonable allocation, leading people to prefer large hospitals regardless of the severity of their illness, while fewer individuals seek medical care at the primary medical institutions. The pattern of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment has not yet been formed.

This study examines the healthcare-seeking behavior of residents in Yicheng District, Zhumadian City, and analyzes the differences in their healthcare-seeking behavior, discussing the problems associated with their choices. This study is primarily based on Anderson’s healthcare utilization model and behavioral theory to design the questionnaire, utilizing multiple independent samples rank sum tests and multiple comparisons for analysis.

The findings are as follows: (1) Residents exhibit a strong tendency toward self-diagnosis; (2) Residents tend to choose higher-level institutions over lower-level ones and familiar institutions over unfamiliar ones when seeking medical care; (3) Primary medical institutions lack adequate service capabilities.

In this regard, the following countermeasures are proposed: (1) Enhance residents’ medical and health literacy and guide them to seek medical care in an orderly manner; (2) Improve the service level of primary medical institutions; (3) Strengthen the healthcare security mechanism at the primary level.