ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2016
'I'm fishing really'--inflammatory marker testing in primary care: a qualitative study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
- Parallels between bipolar disorder and ATP1A3-related diseases: a window into the investigation of lithium for alternating hemiplegia of childhood.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2026Review
- Diagnostic testing patterns for lung cancer-related symptoms in primary care: a retrospective cohort study.BMJ open respiratory research · 2025Article
- Prioritising primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: diagnostic accuracy study (update).BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024Article
- Exploring Periodontal Conditions, Salivary Markers, and Systemic Inflammation in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- GPs' perspectives on diagnostic tests for children: a qualitative interview study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Systemic Impact of Subgingival Infection Control in Periodontitis Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Narrative Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Blood tests in primary care: A qualitative study of communication and decision-making between doctors and patients.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Article
- Association of bacterial vaginosis with periodontitis in a cross-sectional American nationwide survey.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Rwandan primary healthcare providers' perception of their capability in the diagnostic practice.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2020Article
- RETRACTED: Prioritising primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: diagnostic accuracy study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2020Article
- Monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio is associated with the presence and size of thyroid nodule irrespective of the gender.Lipids in health and disease · 2020Article
- Educational intervention to optimise serum immunoglobulin test use in Irish primary care: an interrupted time series with segmented regression analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020Article
- Authors' response.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Added value and cascade effects of inflammatory marker tests in UK primary care: a cohort study from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Use of multiple inflammatory marker tests in primary care: using Clinical Practice Research Datalink to evaluate accuracy.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Predictive value of inflammatory markers for cancer diagnosis in primary care: a prospective cohort study using electronic health records.British journal of cancer · 2019Article
- Variation in diagnostic test requests and outcomes: a preliminary metric for OpenPathology.net.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Viewpoint: Doing nothing.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2017Article
- Fishing.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInflammatory markers can be helpful as part of the diagnostic workup for specific diseases or for monitoring disease activity. A third use is as a screening and/or triage tool to differentiate between the presence or absence of disease. Most research into inflammatory markers looks at diagnosis of specific diseases and comes from secondary care. Qualitative studies to explore when and why clinicians use these tests in primary care are lacking.
aimTo identify clinicians' approaches to inflammatory marker testing in primary care. DESIGN AND
settingQualitative study with 26 GPs and nurse practitioners.
methodInterviews were conducted using a semi-structured topic guide. Clinicians reviewed recent cases of inflammatory marker testing in their pathology inbox. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis was conducted by two of the authors.
resultsClinicians are uncertain about the appropriate use of inflammatory markers and differ in their approach to testing patients with undifferentiated symptoms. Normal or significantly elevated inflammatory markers are seen as helpful, but mildly raised inflammatory markers in the context of non-specific symptoms are difficult to interpret. Clinicians describe a tension between not wanting to 'miss anything' and, on the other hand, being wary of picking up borderline abnormalities that can lead to cascades of further tests. Diagnostic uncertainty is a common reason for inflammatory marker testing, with the aim to reassure; however, paradoxically, inconclusive results can generate a cycle of uncertainty and anxiety.
conclusionFurther research is needed to define when inflammatory marker testing is useful in primary care and how to interpret results.
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