The effect of self-care brochures on use of medical services

A random sample of 14,917 new enrollees in a state-wide health maintenance organization was selected as part of a study of the effectiveness of medical self-care brochures. Medical ICD-9 codes related to each of the conditions described in the brochures were examined for the intervention group (N = 7439) and controls (N = 7478). Significantly less utilization was found for visits due to colds in the month following brochure distribution (P < .01). While not statistically significant, trends in the expected direction of less utilization for earaches and less total medical charges for the intervention group were also found. No significant differences were found related to headache and backache symptoms, although a greater proportion of the intervention group reported backache symptoms. Utilization related to sore throats and fever was significantly (P < .001) higher in the intervention group. These findings suggest that a minimal intervention such as brochure distribution can have a favorable, albeit minimal, impact on medical services utilization. Self-care education may also play a role in increasing utilization for certain types of health conditions.