ArticleBJGP open2017
What triggers healthcare-seeking behaviour when experiencing a symptom? Results from a population-based survey.
Article in BJGP open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploring perceived access to and previous experiences with general practice and associations with health literacy in the Danish population.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Recommendations for the analysis of leading indicators in epidemic surveillance.PLOS digital health · 2026Review
- The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on work participation, sickness absence and general practitioner consultations in the Danish population - a register-based matched cohort study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Understanding donor behaviour following a deferral for low haemoglobin: A cross-sectional survey study.Vox sanguinis · 2026Article
- Changes in diagnostic evaluation of patients with lung cancer symptoms.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- Exploring Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Young Adults: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Smoking status, symptom significance and healthcare seeking with lung cancer symptoms in the Danish general population.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- Healthcare seeking - who, when and why?Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- Article
- Health Care Transitions Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024Review
- Symptom patterns and health service use of women in early adulthood: a latent class analysis from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Symptoms and seeking supportive care and associations with quality of life after treatment for colon cancer: Results from the I CARE cohort study.European journal of cancer care · 2022Article
- Factors influencing symptom appraisal and help-seeking of older adults with possible cancer: a mixed-methods systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2022Article
- Is concern for gynaecological alarm symptoms associated with healthcare-seeking? A Danish population-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Alignment between the patient's cancer worry and the GP's cancer suspicion and the association with the interval between first symptom presentation and referral: a cross-sectional study in Denmark.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Expectations, values, preferences and experiences of Hungarian primary care population when accessing services: Evaluation of the patient's questionnaires of the international QUALICOPC study.Primary health care research & development · 2021Article
- Patients in general practice share a common pattern of symptoms that is partly independent of the diagnosis.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2021Article
- Symptom burden in multimorbidity: a population-based combined questionnaire and registry study from Denmark.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Interrelationships between symptom burden and health functioning and health care utilization among veterans with persistent physical symptoms.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- Urinary incontinence among women-which personal and professional relations are involved? A population-based study.International urogynecology journal · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe decision process of whether or not to contact the GP is influenced by different factors which have not all been well examined.
aimThe aim of this study was to analyse whether contact to the GP is associated with concern about the symptom, influence on daily activities and symptom burden, such as the total number of symptoms experienced by each person in a general population. DESIGN &
settingThis Danish nationwide cross-sectional study comprises a random sample of 100 000 people, representative of the adult Danish population ≥20 years.
methodBaseline data were collected in a web-based survey conducted from June to December 2012.
resultsIn total 49 706 (52.5%) individuals answered the questionnaire; 45 483 (91.5%) individuals experienced at least one of 44 predefined symptoms during the 4 weeks preceding the completion of the questionnaire. They reported 268 772 symptom experiences of which 58 370 symptoms (21.7%) resulted in contact with a GP. A high level of concern and influence on daily activities was associated with significantly higher odds for GP contact. A high burden of symptoms was associated with lower odds of contact with the GP.
conclusionApproximately every fifth symptom reported by individuals from the general population leads to GP contact. Influence on daily activities, burden of symptoms, and concern about the symptom were significant factors associated with the decision of whether to contact the GP. No overall association between sex and GP contact was observed.
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