2014 Volume 41 Issue 6 Pages 637-643
Objectives: People who get periodical medical check-ups are categorized with the results of their follow-up medical examinations from the previous year. Physicians in health care centers usually ask their patients whether or not they had visited a hospital or clinic for a required follow-up medical examination in the previous year. Sometimes, the people's statements are not in agreement with their actual examination results. Therefore, we asked people who had annual medical check-ups whether or not they had a follow-up examination in the previous year and, if so, what the diagnosis was. We compared the diagnosis they stated with the actual findings from their clinical records.
Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 505 people who were categorized as being required to have a follow-up examination following medical check-ups. They answered questionnaires that asked whether or not they had a follow-up examination and, if they did, what their diagnosis was. The association between having a follow-up examination and gender, age, getting a health guidance from a doctor, and a letter of introduction from a physician were evaluated. We selected 36 people who had received a letter of introduction for a follow-up examination, and compared the people's statements regarding their diagnoses with the actual results from their clinical records.
Results: There were 460 people (80.4%) who visited hospitals or clinics for their follow-up examinations. Among the factors, only the letter of introduction was associated with those visits for the follow-up examinations. Of 36, 5 people thought their status less serious than the actual results.
Conclusion: The rate of people's receiving follow-up examinations would likely increase by a letter of introduction from a physician. Doctors should carefully ask individuals about a follow-up examination, because sometimes the statements from those individuals are not in agreement with their actual examination results.
