ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2009
Primary care consultations about medically unexplained symptoms: how do patients indicate what they want?
Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Behavioural modification interventions for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: systematic reviews and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Open Trial of Integrated Primary Care Consultation for Medically Unexplained Symptoms.The journal of behavioral health services & research · 2017Trial
- Utility and optimal cut-off point of the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 for central sensitization syndrome among outpatients with somatic symptoms and related disorders.BioPsychoSocial medicine · 2022Article
- Communicating With Parents and Preschool Children: A Qualitative Exploration of Dental Professional-Parent-Child Interactions During Paediatric Dental Consultations to Prevent Early Childhood Caries.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- The association between patients' expectations and experiences of task-, affect- and therapy-oriented communication and their anxiety in medically unexplained symptoms consultations.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2019Article
- Symptom management for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Designing services for frequent attenders to the emergency department: a characterisation of this population to inform service design.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2016Observational
- The meaning of learning to live with medically unexplained symptoms as narrated by patients in primary care: a phenomenological-hermeneutic study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2015Article
- A novel analytical strategy for patient-physician communication research: the one-with-many design.Patient education and counseling · 2014Article
- Morbidity and doctor characteristics only partly explain the substantial healthcare expenditures of frequent attenders: a record linkage study between patient data and reimbursements data.BMC family practice · 2013Article
- Providers' roles in enhancing patients' adherence to pain self management.Translational behavioral medicine · 2013Article
- The negotiation of the sick role: general practitioners' classification of patients with medically unexplained symptoms.Sociology of health & illness · 2012Article
- Common mental health problems in immigrants and refugees: general approach in primary care.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2011Review
- The treatment of patients with medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: a review of the literature.Mental health in family medicine · 2010Article
- In their own words: qualitative study of high-utilising primary care patients with medically unexplained symptoms.BMC family practice · 2009Article
- Medically unexplained physical symptoms.Journal of general internal medicine · 2009Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPatients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUS) are often thought to deny psychological needs when they consult general practitioners (GPs) and to request somatic intervention instead. We tested predictions from the contrasting theory that they are transparent in communicating their psychological and other needs.
objectiveTo test predictions that what patients tell GPs when they consult about MUS is related transparently to their desire for (1) emotional support, (2) symptom explanation and (3) somatic intervention.
designProspective naturalistic study. Before consultation, patients indicated what they wanted from it using a self-report questionnaire measuring patients' desire for: emotional support, explanation and reassurance, and physical investigation and treatment. Their speech during consultation was audio-recorded, transcribed and coded utterance-by-utterance. Multilevel regression analysis tested relationships between what patients sought and what they said.
participantsPatients (N = 326) consulting 33 GPs about symptoms that the GPs designated as MUS.
resultsPatients who wanted emotional support spoke more about psychosocial problems, including psychosocial causes of symptoms and their need for psychosocial help. Patients who wanted explanation and reassurance suggested more physical explanations, including diseases, but did not overtly request explanation. Patients' wish for somatic intervention was associated only with their talk about details of such interventions and not with their requests for them.
conclusionsIn general, patients with medically unexplained symptoms provide many cues to their desire for emotional support. They are more indirect or guarded in communicating their desire for explanation and somatic intervention.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.