ArticleBMC family practice2009
GPs' reasons for referral of patients with chest pain: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC family practice, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Understanding the role of GPs' gut feelings in diagnosing cancer in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing evidence.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020Pooled it
- Physicians' appraisal of parental concerns: a qualitative assessment.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Article
- Previously undiagnosed scoliosis presenting as pleuritic chest pain in the emergency department - a case series and a validating retrospective audit.BMC emergency medicine · 2021Article
- GPs' use of gut feelings when assessing cancer risk: a qualitative study in UK primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Article
- Observational
- Why do general practitioners not refer patients to behaviour-change programmes after preventive health checks? A mixed-method study.BMC family practice · 2019Article
- Article
- Managing chest pain patients in general practice: an interview-based study.BMC family practice · 2018Article
- Characteristics of revisits of children at risk for serious infections in pediatric emergency care.European journal of pediatrics · 2018Article
- Article
- General practitioners' experiences with out-of-hours cardiorespiratory consultations: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2016Article
- Article
- Article
- Family physicians' diagnostic gut feelings are measurable: construct validation of a questionnaire.BMC family practice · 2013Article
- Clinicians' gut feeling about serious infections in children: observational study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2012Article
- Clinical reasoning in the real world is mediated by bounded rationality: implications for diagnostic clinical practice guidelines.PloS one · 2010Article
- Predictive ability of an early diagnostic guess in patients presenting with chest pain; a longitudinal descriptive study.BMC family practice · 2010Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrompt diagnosis of an acute coronary syndrome is very important and urgent referral to a hospital is imperative because fast treatment can be life-saving and increase the patient's life expectancy and quality of life. The aim of our study was to identify GPs' reasons for referring or not referring patients presenting with chest pain.
methodsIn a semi-structured interview, 21 GPs were asked to describe why they do or do not refer a patient presenting with chest pain. Interviews were taped, transcribed and qualitatively analysed.
resultsHistories of 21 patients were studied. Six were not referred, seven were referred to a cardiologist and eight to the emergency department. GPs' reasons for referral were background knowledge about the patient, patient's age and cost-benefit estimation, the perception of a negative attitude from the medical rescue team, recent patient contact with a cardiologist without detection of a coronary disease and the actual presentation of signs and symptoms, gut feeling, clinical examination and ECG results.
conclusionThis study suggests that GPs believe they do not exclusively use the 'classical' signs and symptoms in their decision-making process for patients presenting with chest pain. Background knowledge about the patient, GPs' personal ideas and gut feeling are also important.
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Registered trials
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