Response to symptoms in healthy, low utilizers of the health care system

From the literature, it is clear that a small proportion of people account for an inordinately high number of health care visits. Conversely, there exists a group of individuals who rarely seek professional medical intervention and, yet, who remain healthy. This study examines a sample of adults who have not received remedial treatment for any symptom in the previous year, who consider themselves as healthy and who pass a comprehensive physical examination. A gender and age balanced group of healthy low utilizers was administered the Symptom Response Questionnaire, an instrument designed to elicit response tendencies to thirteen standardized symptoms. There were significant differences between age groups in response to symptoms with the older individuals more likely to seek professional help. There were few gender differences within the healthy sample. This sample of healthy low-utilizers was not without symptoms, reporting an average of 20 symptoms occuring in the previous week as measured by the SCL-90. A clinical headache group was also administered the SRQ to provide information about their response tendencies to symptoms. This preliminary study suggests that response to illness may be significantly influenced by age and patient status and that reported gender differences in health care utilization may need to be examined more carefully. It is proposed that behavior patterns of healthy, low utilizers may have direct implications for intervention with high utilizers of the health care system.