Agreement between patient’s description of abdominal symptoms of possible upper gastrointestinal cancer and general practitioner consultation notes: a qualitative analysis of video-recorded UK primary care consultation data

Abstract

Introduction Abdominal symptoms are common in primary care but infrequently might be due to an upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer. Patients’ descriptions may differ from medical terminology used by general practitioners (GPs). This may affect how information about abdominal symptoms possibly due to an UGI cancer are documented, creating potential missed opportunities for timely investigation. Objectives To explore how abdominal symptoms are communicated during primary care consultations, and identify characteristics of patients’ descriptions that underpin variation in the accuracy and completeness with which they are documented in medical records. Methods and analysis Primary care consultat..