General practitioners' experiences with chronic abdominal symptoms and a faecal calprotectin guided referral strategy in children: A Dutch qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

General practitioners (GPs) often struggle to distinguish functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) from organic disorders in children with chronic abdominal symptoms. A referral strategy guided by faecal calprotectin (FCal) testing may help.

Objective

This study explores GPs' experiences with these children and the strategy.

Methods

GPs were sampled purposively to data saturation. Ultimately, we conducted one focus group session and 13 semi-structured interviews with 17 Dutch GPs who had been involved in a randomised controlled trial evaluating an FCal-testing strategy. The online focus group and interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subject to thematic content analysis.

Results

Four themes arose: diagnostic confidence, fear of miss

SUBMITTER: Ansems SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11613343 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature