title: Soliciting additional concerns in the primary care consultation and the utility of a brief communication intervention to aid solicitation: A qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) on the practice of soliciting additional concerns (ACs) and the acceptability and utility of two brief interventions (prompts) designed to aid the solicitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen GPs participating in a feasibility randomised controlled trial were interviewed. Interviews were semi-structured and audio-recorded. Data were analysed using a Framework Approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants perceived eliciting ACs as important for: reducing the need for multiple visits, identifying serious illness early, and increasing patient and GP satisfaction. GPs found the prompts easy to use and some continued their use after the study had ended to aid time management. Others noted similarities between the intervention and their usual practice. Nevertheless, soliciting ACs in every consultation was not unanimously supported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prompts were acceptable to GPs within a trial context, but there was disagreement as to whether ACs should be solicited routinely. Some GPs considered the intervention to aid their prioritisation efficiency within consultations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some GPs will find prompts which encourage ACs to be solicited early in the consultation enable them to better organise priorities and manage time-limited consultations more effectively.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: R.Summers@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rachael H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.affiliation: Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: mvm198@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: stuart.ekberg@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ekberg
authors.affiliation: Research Institute, Primary Care and Health Sciences, and NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West Midlands, Research Institute, Keele University, Keele, UK. Electronic address: c.a.chew-graham@keele.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Carolyn A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chew-Graham
authors.affiliation: Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: P.Little@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Primary Care & Population Health, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address: f.stevenson@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: L.A.Brindle@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brindle
authors.affiliation: Primary Care and Population Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: G.M.Leydon@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Geraldine M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Leydon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000379:methods; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013637:Tape Recording; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Communication; Framework approach; Patient concerns; Primary care; Qualitative; UK