Objective To understand how rural and urban patients seek medical service information in Sichuan province. Methods A self-designed questionnaire was distributed randomly to patients who visited primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities in Chengdu, Yibin and Suining, collecting data in relation to their sources of medical service information, as well as the contents and credibility of the information. ResultsThe major sources of medical service information came from friends, past experiences and television programs, which were consistent with the most desirable access channels. The urban patients were more likely to trust (5.3%) and use (10.6%) the Internet to obtain medical service information compared with their rural counterparts (3.4% and 5.5%, respectively, PP
