Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37940141›Full record

ArticleBJGP open2024

Engagement with emotional concerns in general practice: a thematic analysis of GP consultations.

Louis Nerurkar, Iris van der Scheer, Fiona Stevenson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BJGP open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

3 authors.

Louis NerurkarUniversity College London, Research Department for Primary Care Research and Population Health, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7108-4633
Iris van der ScheerUniversity College London, Research Department for Primary Care Research and Population Health, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3437-138X
Fiona StevensonUniversity College London, Research Department for Primary Care Research and Population Health, London, UK f.stevenson@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2139-2309

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmotional concerns (defined as any expression of low mood, anxiety, or psychosocial stress) are an important part of the biopsychosocial care model used in modern medical practice. Previous work has demonstrated variable engagement with emotional concerns and that improved communication has been associated with reductions in emotional distress.

aimTo examine how emotional concerns are engaged with during routine GP consultations. DESIGN &

settingSecondary study using the Harnessing Resources from the Internet (HaRI) database. The available dataset contains 231 recordings from 10 GPs across eight urban and suburban practices recorded in 2017 and 2018.

methodThe dataset was reviewed to identify any consultations containing emotional concerns (as defined as any expression of low mood, anxiety, or psychosocial stress) before being imported into NVivo (version 12) to facilitate thematic analysis and coding. Reflexive inductive thematic analysis resulted in two major themes.

resultsThe two main themes were as follows: engagement with emotional concerns as dynamic throughout consultations; and GPs engage with emotional concerns both diagnostically and therapeutically. In theme 1, this dynamism relates to competing areas of focus, immediate versus delayed engagement and reiteration of concerns throughout consultations. Emotional concerns can be engaged with in a similar way to physical concerns (theme 2) using a diagnostic and treatment-based approach; however, in addition to this, therapeutic listening and conversation is utilised.

conclusionAwareness of the dynamic nature of emotional concerns within consultations and encouraging engagement with concerns in a flexible and patient-oriented manner may help improve doctor-patient communication. In addition, investigating how GPs and patients build shared understanding around emotional concerns may identify methods to reduce patients' emotional distress.

Indexed as

emotional concernsgeneral practicemental healthqualitative research

Identifiers

PMID37940141
PMCPMC11169977

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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.