ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2015
Symptoms as the main problem in primary care: A cross-sectional study of frequency and characteristics.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Measurement Properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and Somatic Symptom Scale-8: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Treatments for subacute cough in primary care: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Identifying patterns of communication in patients attending memory clinics: a systematic review of observations and signs with potential diagnostic utility.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- The course and management of symptom diagnoses in general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Pre-pandemic care-seeking patterns and subsequent diagnoses of post-COVID condition, post viral fatigue syndrome, and exhaustion disorder: a registry-based cohort study of 208,050 Swedish women.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Symptom burden in multiple long-term conditions: An AI-supported, mixed-methods concept elicitation study.JRSM open · 2026Article
- Follow the microbes: a new perspective on health inequalities.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
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- Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and physiotherapy utilization in primary care - a registry-based study in Sweden.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Recruiting patients with persistent physical symptoms and no specific diagnosis for clinical trials in primary care: a qualitative study of four scenarios.Primary health care research & development · 2025Article
- Article
- Are Children's Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviours at 5 Years Predicted by Maternal Perinatal Depression Trajectory Profiles?Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Development and validation of a risk prediction tool for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in patients presenting in primary care with abdominal symptoms.Journal of Crohn's & colitis · 2025Article
- Relationship between symptoms, sociodemographic factors, and general practice help-seeking in 10 904 adults aged 50 and over.European journal of public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Integrating psychiatry and family medicine in the management of somatic symptom disorders: Diagnosis, collaboration, and communication strategies.Journal of general and family medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Clinical reasoning amongst paramedics using nebulised β₂ agonists to treat acute asthma exacerbations: a qualitative study.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2024Article
- Gender differential in the pattern and severity of perceived symptoms among diabetes patients in India.Diabetology international · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim was to study symptoms managed as the main problem by the general practitioner (GP) and to describe the frequencies and characteristics of presented symptoms when no specific diagnosis could be made.
designCross- sectional study.
settingGeneral practices in the Central Denmark Region. SUBJECTS: In total, 397 GPs included patients with face-to-face contacts during one randomly assigned day in 2008-2009; 7008 patients were included and 5232 presented with a health problem.
main outcome measuresGPs answered a questionnaire after each patient contact. Symptoms and specific diagnoses were subsequently classified using the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC). Symptom frequency, comorbidity, consultation length, and GP-assessed final outcome and burden of consultations were analysed.
resultsThe GPs could not establish a specific diagnosis in 36% of patients with health problems. GPs expected that presented symptoms would not result in a future specific diagnosis for half of these patients. Musculoskeletal (lower limb and back) and respiratory (cough) symptoms were most frequent. More GPs had demanding consultations when no specific diagnosis could be made. Higher burden was associated with age, comorbidity, and GP expectancy of persistent symptoms when no diagnosis could be made.
conclusionInterpretation and management of symptoms is a key task in primary care. As symptoms are highly frequent in general practice, symptoms without a specific diagnosis constitute a challenge to GPs. Nevertheless, symptoms have been given little priority in research. More attention should be directed to evidence-based management of symptoms as a generic phenomenon to ensure improved outcomes in the future.
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