8.0/10 (17320 reviews)
justanswer.co.uk has been visited by 10K+ users in the past month
Get Accurate Answers To Your Medical Questions By Verified Doctors. An Experienced Doctor Will Answer Your Health-Related Questions
A+ Rating - Better Business Bureau
- Get Medical Answers
Get Answers from Verified Medical
Professionals Online 24/7. Ask Now!
- Ask a Doctor Online Now
Get Personal, 1-on-1 Answers from
Doctors Online. Ask Now!
- Ask a Dog Breeder Online
A Dog Vet Will Answer You Now!
Questions Answered Every 9 Seconds
- Ask a Doctor
Get Personal, 1-on-1 Answers 24/7.
Get Medical Answers in Minutes.
- Ask a 24 Hour Vet Online
An Expert Will Answer in Minutes!
Ask a Question, Get An Answer ASAP
- Ask a doctor one-on-one
Have Health Questions? Talk to a
Don't wait for medical care
- Get Medical Answers
Search results
People also ask
How does a GP diagnose a skin condition?
Should GPS be able to diagnose skin conditions?
What is skin disease & why should you consult a GP?
What percentage of skin problems are diagnosed by GPS?
Do GPS diagnose dermatophytosis and atopic eczema?
Why do GPS need to explain their way of diagnosing dermatological diseases?
It is not unreasonable for the public to expect their healthcare provider, most often a GP, to be able to recognise common skin conditions, know what useful therapeutic measures are available, and know when to seek expert help for diagnosis and exclusively specialist treatments.
- Old Battles
BJGP Journal Office RCGP 30 Euston Square London NW1 2FB...
- Old Battles
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Declaration
- Acknowledgements
Skin disease is a common medical problem, belonging to the most frequent reasons for consulting a GP (1,2), representing 8.4% of primary care cases (3). Since 65.1% of all patients with dermatological problems only consult their GP, GPs, as ‘gatekeepers’, therefore must triage their patients and make a decision about referral. To do this, they must...
Study design
We chose a qualitative approach to address our study questions and to explore GPs’ diagnostic strategies, interpretation of findings and referral decisions when treating patients with skin disease. We found problem-centred interviews (15) to be the most appropriate technique for data collection.
Setting and data collection
We recruited GPs in the federal states of Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine Westphalia, Germany via personal contacts, GPs affiliated with our university department, and randomly made telephone or mail contacts. We informed the GPs in advance about the study objectives and the privacy regulations; GPs then gave written permission for inclusion in the study. We developed an open and semi-structured interview guideline based on literature about dermatology in primary care (16). The interview...
Data analysis
Interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim (17) using Microsoft Word Professional Plus 2010 (© 2010 Microsoft Corporation). To assist data handling, these documents were transferred into MAXQDA-10 (18), a software facilitating qualitative data analysis. Data analysis was based on a deductive–inductive approach. Following the ‘editing organizing style’ (19), interviews were scanned to find sections or phrases corresponding to the research question. After a further reduction of content, ind...
Sample characteristics
A total of 45 GPs from urban and rural areas were approached, and 14 agreed to participate in the study. Table 1shows the characteristics of the 14 GPs interviewed.
Diagnostic approach to patients with skin disease
Nearly all GPs mentioned that patients with dermatological problems commonly present with unspecific complaints such as pruritus, pain or diverse skin lesions challenging the GP to focus on one cardinal symptom. GPs pointed out the importance of an exact description of the primary skin lesion itself, in addition to other symptoms and possible trigger factors as this information helps focus possible diagnoses. Six distinct diagnostic approaches used in the workup of skin problems emerged durin...
Dealing with uncertainty
All interviewed GPs mentioned shortcomings in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases; several GPs criticised the minor significance of dermatology during medical training and the GP residency. When asking GPs how they manage diagnostic uncertainty, four different strategies emerged.
Main findings
We identified several aspects of a complex decision-making process in GPs’ diagnostic management of patients with dermatological problems. In the general diagnostic workup, GPs used a broad spectrum of different strategies such as spot diagnosis, stepwise refinement, pattern recognition trigger and test of treatment. GPs reduced diagnostic uncertainty through the identification of red flags, application of the test of time, therapeutic trials and asking for further advice including patient re...
Strengths and limitations
The presented data have limitations. Recruitment via personal contacts and among GPs affiliated with our university department may have caused a selection of GPs with a strong interest in dermatology, resulting in a more profound knowledge of diagnosis and management of skin disease. However, some participants were also recruited by random contact. A different way to capture doctors’ diagnostic reasoning, such as videotaped interviews, may have more internal validity. However, these methods a...
Comparison with existing literature
Our findings show that the diagnostic approach used by GPs when dealing with skin problems is not a linear, but a complex process with a broad range of determining factors, such as experience in dealing with skin diseases, the individual level of knowledge and the accessibility of dermatologists (22). GPs did not use a specific catalogue of questions triggered by certain dermatological problems, as suggested in standard medical textbooks (23). In their study on diagnostic strategies used in p...
GPs encounter a broad range of dermatological problems in their daily work. They use a variety of diagnostic strategies with a focus on spot diagnosis, stepwise refinement and test of treatment. GPs apply several tactics to reduce the remaining diagnostic uncertainty by asking for further advice, with patient referrals being one of the most frequen...
Funding: Departmental Resources. Ethical approval: Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine at the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany (AZ 130/11). The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki. Conflict of interest: none.
The authors thank all GPs and patients who participated in the study. We also would like to thank Juliette Rautenberg for providing English-language editing, improving the precision and fluency of the manuscript. Authors’ contributions: SB and EB designed the study. MR collected the data. SB, EB, ME and MR analysed and interpreted the results. MR a...
- Marie-Luise Rübsam, Maximilian Esch, Erika Baum, Stefan Bösner
- 2015
Oct 21, 2024 · Here are some signs you should seek medical advice: Severe or persistent rashes: If a rash doesn’t go away after a few days or gets worse, it’s worth consulting a GP. A rash that spreads quickly or is accompanied by other symptoms like fever may indicate an infection or allergic reaction. Unexplained skin changes: New or changing moles ...
General dermatology: diagnostic tool for inflammatory skin conditions, other rashes, and disorders of the hair, nails, oral mucosa (mouth and lips) and genital skin. To use this tool click on the following - The Cunliffe (TP) General Dermatology Diagnostic Tool.
Your GP or dermatologist will perform a range of tests to diagnose your skin condition. These include: Skin biopsy. Blood test. X-rays. MRI/CT scans. Allergy testing. Swab (taken from a sensitive area, e.g. the mouth) And, not forgetting, a physical examination of your skin complaint.
Oct 25, 2024 · The diagnostic tables are available for both general dermatology and for skin lesions. The PCDS website A-Z of clinical guidance provides clear descriptions of the clinical features of the skin condition, together with images and management advice.
GPs verbalised a diagnosis for 78.4% (40/51) of the skin problems, which was documented in the medical record in 85.0% (34/40) of cases. Medication was recommended for 66.7% (34/51) of skin problems, with a mean of 1.5 medications (range 1–3).
