ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2019
Symptom management for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: a qualitative study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- BMC family practice integrated GP care for patients with persistent physical symptoms: feasibility cluster randomised trial.BMC family practice · 2020Trial
- Prevalence and management of symptom diagnoses in children in general practice.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2025Article
- Article
- Optimising GPs' communication of advice to facilitate patients' self-care and prompt follow-up when the diagnosis is uncertain: a realist review of 'safety-netting' in primary care.BMJ quality & safety · 2022Review
- Making sense of symptoms, clinicians and systems: a qualitative evaluation of a facilitated support group for patients with medically unexplained symptoms.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Development of Grip self-help: An online patient-tailored self-help intervention for functional somatic symptoms in primary care.Internet interventions · 2020Article
- Medically unexplained symptoms: are we making progress?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Medically unexplained symptoms: are we making progress?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGPs have a central position in the care of patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS), but GPs find their care challenging. Currently, little is known about symptom management by GPs in daily practice for patients with MUS.
aimThis study aimed to describe management strategies used by GPs when confronted with patients with MUS in daily practice. DESIGN AND
settingQualitative study in which videos and transcripts of 39 general practice consultations involving patients with MUS in the region of Nijmegen in the Netherlands in 2015 were analysed.
methodA thematic analysis of management strategies for MUS used by GPs in real-life consultations was performed.
resultsThe study revealed 105 management strategies in 39 consultations. Nearly half concerned symptom management; the remainder included medication, referrals, additional tests, follow-up consultations, and watchful waiting. Six themes of symptom management strategies emerged from the data: cognitions and emotions, interaction with health professionals, body focus, symptom knowledge, activity level, and external conditions. Advice on symptom management was often non-specific in terms of content, and ambiguous in terms of communication.
conclusionSymptom management is a considerable part of the care of MUS in general practice. GPs might benefit from support in how to promote symptom management to patients with MUS in specific and unambiguous terms.
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