The impact of symptom interpretation on physician utilization.

This article explores physician consultation decisions among a sample of elderly people living in community settings. The analysis integrates the insights of research on illness behavior, particularly symptom interpretation and lay consultation, with previous specifications of the Health Behavior Model. Data were gathered through personal interviews and health diaries completed on a daily basis for 21 consecutive days by a probability sample of older people living in community settings. Results indicate that uncertainty regarding potential seriousness, level of pain or interference, and causal attributions were the most consistently significant predictors of physician contact.