ArticleBJGP open2020
Tendency to contact general practice instead of self-care: a population vignette study.
Article in BJGP open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Older immigrants' use of general practice in Denmark a register-based cohort study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Learning From Self-Care Practices Among Marginalised Women: Towards Embedding Health Justice in the UK Health Policy.Sociology of health & illness · 2025Article
- The Prediagnostic General Practitioners' Pathway of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Patients: A Real-World Data Study.Cancers · 2025Article
- Tendency to call an ambulance or attend an emergency department for minor or non-urgent problems: a vignette-based population survey in Britain.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2022Article
- Dr. Me project: Teaching children self-care for self-limiting illnesses in primary schools.Future healthcare journal · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDemand for general practice in the UK is higher than supply. Some patients seek appointments with GPs for minor illnesses rather than self-care.
aimTo identify the characteristics of people with a tendency to contact GPs rather than self-care. DESIGN &
settingA national survey of the British adult population was undertaken in 2018, which included vignettes.
methodTwo vignettes focused on illness in adults: half of responders completed a vignette about cough and sore throat for 3 days, and the other half completed a vignette about diarrhoea and vomiting for 2 days. Logistic regression was undertaken to identify characteristics associated with contacting GPs compared with dealing with the problem themselves, calling NHS 111, or contacting another service, including a pharmacist.
resultsThe response rate was 42%, with 2906 responders. Responders were twice as likely to select 'contact GP' for the diarrhoea and vomiting vignette than for the cough and sore throat vignette (44.7% versus 21.8%). Factors associated with tendency for GP contact included being aged >75 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2 to 3.2); from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities (OR 2.1, 95% CI = 1.5 to 3.0); feeling overwhelmed by unexpected health problems (OR 1.4, 95% CI = 0.99 to 2.1); lower health literacy (OR 1.2, 95% CI = 1.0 to 1.4); and believing that general practice is not overused (OR 1.3, 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.7).
conclusionType of symptom, personal characteristics, and population beliefs about general practice utilisation explain the tendency to contact GPs for minor illness amenable to self-care.
Indexed as
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Registered trials
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.