Patient behavior patterns associated with making decisions for the need of seeking medical advice; Модели поведения пациентов, связанные с принятием решения о необходимости обращения за медицинской помощью

Introduction. The most promising behavior pattern in terms of reducing the severity of the pathological process is an active model of patient behavior, which involves seeking medical advice even for preventive purposes. Aim of the study is to analyze patient behavior patterns when deciding on the need of seeking medical advice. Materials and Methods. The analysis was conducted in three comparison groups formed based on the observation and treatment technology. The first one included 531 patients undergoing planned treatment on an outpatient basis, the second comparison group included 822 patients undergoing planned treatment in a hospital (specialized gastroenterology department), and the third group included 147 patients admitted to inpatient treatment at the Emergency Hospital on an emergency basis due to complications of the underlying disease (pathology of the digestive organs). Patient behavior patterns were identified by analyzing patient responses to the authors’ questionnaire. Additionally, the time interval was assessed between the onset of symptoms and seeking medical care. The groups were compared using nonparametric criteria: Association coefficient (Ka) and the χ2 criterion. Criteria were analyzed using standard approaches. Results and Discussion. It was found that the reactive passive model of patient behavior (wait-and-see attitude) associated with making a decision to seek medical care was more often recorded in patients of the third group (67.3%) versus 40.5% of patients in the second group and 35.6% in patients of the first group. The reactive but active model of patient behavior is a more positive fact, which should contribute to a decrease in the number of complications according to the principle of secondary prevention. However, the prevalence of this type of behavior is not very high in all the groups compared, but this form of behavior was the least common among patients of the third group (12.2% versus 22.6% in the first and 20.4% in the second group). The active model of behavior, providing for seeking medical care for preventive purposes, was noted in about a quarter of patients of the first (24.9%) and second (22.6%) group. The prevalence of this model of behavior among patients of the third group was significantly lower. Thus, only 6.1% of patients included in this group stated that they sought medical care for preventive purposes. Conclusions. High levels were detected in the commitment of inpatients and outpatients with gastrointestinal diseases to a passive behavior model characterized by delayed seeking medical advice, until their condition worsens to the point that their usual way of life becomes impossible. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.