From: Family physicians’ diagnostic gut feelings are measurable: construct validation of a questionnaire
Consensus statements | No. | Questionnaire items |
---|---|---|
A ‘sense of reassurance’ means that a family physician feels secure about the further management and course of a patient’s problem, even though he/she may not be certain about the diagnosis: everything fits in. | 1(SR) | I feel confident about my management plan and/or about the outcome: it all adds up. |
A ‘sense of alarm’ implies that a family physician worries about a patient’s health status, even though he/she has found no specific indications yet; it is a sense of ‘there’s something wrong here’. | 2(SA) | I am concerned about this patient’s state of health: something does not add up here. |
A ‘sense of alarm’ activates the diagnostic process by stimulating a family physician to formulate and weigh up working hypotheses that might involve a serious outcome. | 3(SA) | In this particular case, I will formulate provisional hypotheses with potentially serious outcomes and weigh them against each other. |
A ‘sense of alarm’ means that a family physician perceives an uneasy feeling as he/she is concerned about a possible adverse outcome. | 4(SA) | I have an uneasy feeling because I am worried about potentially unfavorable outcomes. |
A ‘sense of alarm’ means that, if possible, the family physician needs to initiate specific management to prevent serious health problems. | 5(SA) | This case requires specific management to prevent any further serious health problems. |
6(SA) | This patient’s situation gives me reason to arrange a follow-up visit sooner than usual or to refer him or her more quickly than usual to a specialist. | |
7(FJ) | Please indicate what kind of gut feeling you had at the end of the consultation: | |
* Something is wrong with this picture. | ||
* Everything fits. | ||
* Impossible to say, or not applicable. |