Japan faces serious healthcare challenges, such as the problem of rising healthcare costs. In order to address these challenges, it is necessary to change the behavior of medical consumers. However, it cannot be said that medical consumers are taking action based on their awareness of healthcare issues. In this study, we first ascertained what kind of information about healthcare issues is being disseminated by the government and healthcare providers. The results showed that information dissemination related to healthcare issues, such as knowledge of healthcare costs and seeking appropriate consultation, was insufficient. Without such knowledge, consumers cannot critically reflect on their use healthcare services. Therefore, in order for medical consumers to understand the need for appropriate use of healthcare services, it is essential for “educational involvement” on the part of healthcare providers. In particular, healthcare providers and professionals should educate medical consumers on important healthcare issues and help them develop self-management skills related to their use of healthcare services.
https://ror.org/03s2gs602 
