Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38189313›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2024

The burden of persistent symptom diagnoses in primary care patients: a cross-sectional study.

Asma Chaabouni, Juul Houwen, Georg Grewer, Martin Liebau, Reinier Akkermans, Kees van Boven, Iris Walraven, Henk Schers, Tim Olde Hartman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. The course and management of symptom diagnoses in general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. 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

9 authors.

Asma ChaabouniDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5731-9993
Juul HouwenDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Georg GrewerUSUMA Markt- und Sozialforschung GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Martin LiebauUSUMA Markt- und Sozialforschung GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Reinier AkkermansDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Kees van BovenDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Iris WalravenDepartment for Health Evidence, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Henk SchersDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Tim Olde HartmanDepartment of Primary and Community care, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2078-1206

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe burden of symptoms is a subjective experience of distress. Little is known on the burden of feeling unwell in patients with persistent symptom diagnoses. The aim of this study was to assess the burden in primary care patients with persistent symptom diagnoses compared to other primary care patients.

methodsA cross-sectional study was performed in which an online survey was sent to random samples of 889 patients with persistent symptom diagnoses (>1 year) and 443 other primary care patients after a transactional identification in a Dutch primary care data registry. Validated questionnaires were used to assess the severity of symptoms (PHQ-15), Symptom Intensity and Symptom Interference questionnaires, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), quality of life (SF-12 and EQ-5D-5L)) and social functioning (SPF-ILs).

resultsOverall, 243 patients completed the survey: 178 (73.3%) patients in the persistent symptom diagnoses group and 65 (26.7%) patients in the control group. In the persistent group, 65 (36.5%) patients did not have persistent symptom(s) anymore according to the survey response. Patients who still had persistent symptom diagnoses (

conclusionPatients with persistent symptom diagnoses suffer from high levels of symptoms burden. The burden in patient with persistent symptoms should not be underestimated as awareness of this burden may enhance person-centered care.

Indexed as

AnxietyQuality of LifeCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPrimary Health CareSurveys and Questionnairesdisease burdenpersistent somatic symptomsprimary carequality of life

Identifiers

PMID38189313
PMCPMC10851811

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.