Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37573334›Full record

ArticleAnnals of general psychiatry2023

Characteristics and economic burden of patients with somatoform disorders in Chinese general hospitals: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Xiangyun Yang, Jia Luo, Pengchong Wang, Yue He, Cong Wang, Lijuan Yang, Jing Sun, Zhanjiang Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of general psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
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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.

Xiangyun YangThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Jia LuoThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Pengchong WangThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Yue HeThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Cong WangThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Lijuan YangThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China.
Jing SunSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. j.sun@griffith.edu.au.
Zhanjiang LiThe National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 5 Ankang Hutong Deshengmen Wai, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088, China. lizhj8@ccmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Beijing Hospitals Authority Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding, China ZYLX201815Beijing Hospitals Authority Young Talents Training Programme, China QML20181903Capital Health Development Research Programme, China 2016-1-2121
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn China, patients with somatoform disorders (SFD) often seek medical treatment repeatedly in outpatient clinics of general hospitals, which increases unreasonable medical expenses. It is imperative to provide early screening to these patients and specialized treatment to reduce the unnecessary cost. This study aimed to screen patients with SFD in general hospitals using a new Chinese questionnaire and explore the characteristics and economic burden of these patients.

methodsPatients (n = 1497) from the outpatient department of neurology, cardiology and gastroenterology of three large general hospitals were included. Participants were screened using a newly developed questionnaire, the Self-screening Questionnaire for Somatic Symptoms (SQSS), to identify the patients with SFD (total SQSS score ≥ 29 points). We compared the demographics and clinical information of patients with and without SFD. Logistic regression was used to explore potential factors related to medical expenses, visits to doctors and sick leave days taken.

resultsThe frequency of detection of patients with SFD was 17.03%. There were significant differences in employment, doctor visits, symptom duration, medical expenses, sick leave days, PHQ-15 scores, and PHQ-9 scores between patients with SFD and without SFD. General nonspecific somatic symptoms were frequently present in patients with SFD. Several potential factors were associated with higher medical expenses, repeated doctor visits, and sick leave days taken in the regression analysis.

conclusionThe findings indicate that patients with SFD are common in general hospitals, and their direct and indirect economic burden is higher than that of non-SFD patients, which indicates that more screening effort should be made to this group to early identify their problems. Certain characteristics were identified among patients with SFD and several factors were associated with negative consequences of SFD, all of which might be prevented by developing a preventive intervention program to reduce the economic burden of the patients.

Indexed as

CharacteristicEconomic burdenGeneral hospitalSelf-screening Questionnaire for Somatic SymptomsSomatoform disorders

Identifiers

PMID37573334
PMCPMC10423408

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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.