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Family Practice Vol. 21, No. 2, 199-203
Family Practice Vol. 21, No. 2 © Oxford University Press 2004, all rights reserved.

Article

Medically unexplained symptoms: perceptions of physicians in primary health care

Tora Woivalina,b, Gunilla Krantzc, Taina Mäntyrantaa,d and Karin C Ringsberga,

a The Nordic School of Public Health, Göteborg, c Centre for Health Equity Studies, CHESS, Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, b Åland Primary Health Care, Mariehamn, Åland and d Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland

Correspondence to Karin C Ringsberg, The Nordic School of Public Health, Box 121 33, 402 42 Göteborg, Sweden; E-mail: karin{at}nhv.se

Background. Patients presenting with multiple symptoms represent a substantial part of a GP's total work load. At the same time, these patients account for the majority of the people on long-term sick-leave in Sweden today.

Objective. The aim of this study was to explore GPs' perceptions and ways of managing patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS).

Methods. Five focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 27 GPs. In the collection and analysis of data, a phenomenographic approach was used.

Results. The GPs described how they used four different approaches to manage patients with MUS: a biomedical, a psychological, an educational and a psychosocial approach. Different approaches were used, depending on the patient and the situation, and the GPs even switched approach when working with the same patient.

Conclusions. In their work with patients with MUS, GPs need support and further training to improve the way the biomedical frame of reference is integrated with the humanistic perspective.

Keywords. General practice, management of care, medically unexplained symptoms, phenomenography.


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