Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29686134›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2018

Responsibility for follow-up during the diagnostic process in primary care: a secondary analysis of International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership data.

Brian D Nicholson, Clare R Goyder, Clare R Bankhead, Berit S Toftegaard, Peter W Rose, Hans Thulesius, Peter Vedsted, Rafael Perera

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Communicating blood test results in primary care: a mixed-methods systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Can patients contribute to enhancing the safety and effectiveness of test-result follow-up? Qualitative outcomes from a health consumer workshop.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2021
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Safety netting in routine primary care consultations: an observational study using video-recorded UK consultations.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019
    Observational
  10. Development of a tool for coding safety-netting behaviours in primary care: a mixed-methods study using existing UK consultation recordings.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019
    Article
  11. Quality improvements of safety-netting guidelines for cancer in UK primary care: insights from a qualitative interview study of GPs.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Exploring public attitudes towards the new Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer: a focus group study with the UK public.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019
    Article
  14. Association between GPs' suspicion of cancer and patients' usual consultation pattern in primary care: a cross-sectional study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019
    Article
  15. GPs' understanding and practice of safety netting for potential cancer presentations: a qualitative study in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Brian D NicholsonNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Clare R GoyderNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Clare R BankheadNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Berit S ToftegaardResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Peter W RoseNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Hans ThulesiusDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Växjö, Sweden.
Peter VedstedResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Rafael PereraNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Funding

Cancer Research UK 21500
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIt is unclear to what extent primary care practitioners (PCPs) should retain responsibility for follow-up to ensure that patients are monitored until their symptoms or signs are explained.

aimTo explore the extent to which PCPs retain responsibility for diagnostic follow-up actions across 11 international jurisdictions. DESIGN AND

settingA secondary analysis of survey data from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership.

methodThe authors counted the proportion of 2879 PCPs who retained responsibility for each area of follow-up (appointments, test results, and non-attenders). Proportions were weighted by the sample size of each jurisdiction. Pooled estimates were obtained using a random-effects model, and UK estimates were compared with non-UK ones. Free-text responses were analysed to contextualise quantitative findings using a modified grounded theory approach.

resultsPCPs varied in their retention of responsibility for follow-up from 19% to 97% across jurisdictions and area of follow-up. Test reconciliation was inadequate in most jurisdictions. Significantly fewer UK PCPs retained responsibility for test result communication (73% versus 85%,

conclusionThe degree to which PCPs retain responsibility for follow-up is dependent on their level of concern about the patient and their primary care system's properties. Integrated systems to support follow-up are at present underutilised, and research into their development, uptake, and effectiveness seems warranted.

Indexed as

BenchmarkingPrimary Health CareAttitude of Health PersonnelContinuity of Patient CareData CollectionFollow-Up StudiesHealth Care SurveysHealth Services ResearchHumansNeoplasmsPractice Patterns, Physicians'Social Responsibilitycancerdiagnosisdiagnostic errorsdiagnostic safetygeneral practiceprimary caresafety netting

Identifiers

PMID29686134
PMCPMC5916079

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.