ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2026
Indications of over- and undertreatment of hypothyroidism in primary care: a scoping review and evidence mapping.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionHypothyroidism is a prevalent endocrine disorder predominantly managed in primary care. Improper treatment can lead to significant clinical and public health consequences. Despite the availability of clear clinical guidelines, over- and undertreatment frequently occur. The aim was to explore and map indications of over- and undertreatment of hypothyroidism in a primary care setting.
methodsWe conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley. The search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. We included peer-reviewed studies exploring over- and undertreatment of hypothyroidism in primary care and included both registry/audit and survey studies. Data were extracted across four structured stages, capturing study characteristics and treatment-related outcomes. Data on indications were compared across studies to identify recurring patterns.
resultsNineteen studies were included. The findings show that the majority of studies with larger study populations report a moderate prevalence of over- and undertreatment. Overtreatment was associated with early initiation of therapy, absence of confirmatory testing, and suppressed TSH levels during follow-up. Undertreatment was linked to incomplete diagnostic evaluation, delayed treatment initiation, and inadequate follow-up. Survey studies reported similar patterns of inappropriate management but higher adherence to clinical guidelines.
conclusionThis scoping review found consistent evidence of both over- and undertreatment of hypothyroidism in primary care. A discrepancy between clinicians' reported intentions and observed practice suggests the need to attend to behavioural and organisational factors, and to provide greater support for individualised decision-making to improve care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.