JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

With the implementation of the "Health China" strategy, health and medical information and the Internet have been closely linked together. However, while the Internet has facilitated patients' online consultation, it also contributes to problems such as false information, health anxiety and tendency to seek high-level medical treatment blindly. Based on the above background, this paper uses CFPS 2018 data and conducts an empirical analysis using the instrumental variable method, aiming to explore the association between Internet information access and patients' first-diagnosed seeking behaviors in primary hospitals. The results show that patients who view the Internet as an important information channel have a lower probability of seeking initial diagnose in primary hospitals, comparing with those for whom Internet is not an important information channel. This is mainly due to that Internet information will generate a substitution effect of self-treatment instead of primary care in the group of patients with minor illnesses, and will produce a tendency effect to seek high-level treatment in tertiary hospitals in the group of patients with severe illnesses. In terms of heterogeneity, whether or not to use the Internet as an important information channel mainly affects men's first-diagnosed seeking behaviors in primary hospitals, not for women. Based on this, the following countermeasures are proposed: (1) To improve the access threshold of Internet consultation platforms and to strengthen the supervision and management of Internet medical information. (2) To improve chronic disease management services. (3) To build an online and offline multi-dimensional service system.