Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42557543›Full record

ArticleBMC primary care2026

Attitudes of Swedish primary care physicians toward GLP-1 receptor agonists for overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional survey.

Isabelle Sundell, Björn Wettermark, Anders Sundström, Mats Martinell, Björn Ericsson, Ulf Lindahl, Hussein N Rubaiy, Maria Palmetun Ekbäck

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC primary 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.

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

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Isabelle SundellFaculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1106-8276
Björn WettermarkFaculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0531-2516
Anders SundströmFaculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2337-3371
Mats MartinellDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6060-6229
Björn EricssonGävleborg Drug & Therapeutics Committee, Gävle, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6710-875X
Ulf LindahlVästernorrland Drug & Therapeutics Committee, Härnösand, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-6188-9240
Hussein N RubaiyDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1489-5576
Maria Palmetun EkbäckSchool of Medical Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. maria.palmetun-ekback@regionorebrolan.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-9588

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundObesity is a growing global health burden, previously with few effective treatments. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) were originally approved for diabetes but are increasingly prescribed for treatment of overweight and obesity. The increasing expenditure has led to ethical debates surrounding the utilization of these drugs. Few studies have investigated the attitudes to GLP-1 RAs among prescribing physicians. This study aimed to assess the attitudes to GLP-1 RAs for treatment of overweight and obesity among Swedish primary care physicians.

methodsThis was a cross-sectional survey with descriptive quantitative analysis and thematic analysis of free-text responses. A mix of multiple-choice questions and rating scales, including the Likert scale was employed. The study was conducted in October 2024 among physicians working in primary care in the Swedish regions of Gävleborg, Uppsala, Västernorrland, Västmanland and Örebro. The survey was distributed through the Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) in the regions.

resultsThe 190 responses yielded a response rate of 28%. Of these, 163 responses could be included in the final analysis. Almost all respondents (98%) agreed that GLP-1 RAs are effective drugs for treating obesity, and 91% believed they will be important for obesity treatment in the future. Main identified barriers for prescribing GLP-1 RAs were high patient co-payment (69%) and low drug availability due to supply shortages at the time of conducting this survey (86%).

conclusionPhysicians working in primary care in Sweden consider GLP-1 RAs effective for treating obesity and believe these drugs will play an important role in obesity treatment in the future. These findings should be interpreted in the light of the low response rate and possible self-selection bias.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor AgonistsObesityOverweightPhysicians, Primary CareCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePractice Patterns, Physicians'SemaglutideSurveys and QuestionnairesSwedenGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor AgonistsSemaglutideCross sectional studyDiabetesGlucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonistsObesityPrimary health careSurveySweden

Identifiers

PMID42557543
PMCPMC13445834

What OpenQuestion holds

Texttitle and abstract
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.