RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Common cold is an upper airway viral infection and can be managed by conservative treatment. According to the hospital referral system, mild diseases like common cold should be treated first at a primary physician clinic. However, now in Korea, visiting high-level hospitals for mild diseases is not impossible officially and even the rate of visiting high-level general hospital has increased in spite of the current hospital referral system. This study aimed to provide data of characteristics of patients who choose high-level hospitals for mild diseases like common cold. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We conducted a survey targeting those who visit general hospitals for common cold. The questionnaire comprised of asking first choice of contact hospital, sex, age, awareness and use of antibiotics when visiting primary physician, medical examinations and duration of treatment, and reasons for thinking that general hospitals are superior to primary hospitals. Subjects were categorized according to their choice of first contact hospital with common cold, primary physician or general hospital. For each group, independent sample t-test and chi-square test were applied to variables. RESULTS: Among the variables for the two groups, statistical significances were found in age, duration of treatment and whether medical examinations were performed or not. CONCLUSION: Underestimation for primary physician and vague faith in medical examinations were most influential factors that lead patients with mild diseases to visit general hospitals. This study finds that programs for educating the public are necessary to make them understand that primary physician clinics are enough to treat common cold and that an institutional framework will be needed to support the hospital referral system.
