Regola di Jess: GPS per ricontrollare alcuni pazienti per “Misse” mortali

> But in July of that year, she didn’t feel right and contacted her GP practice repeatedly over the next five months about her symptoms.

> Over time they became “increasingly debilitating”, Andrea says.

> “She had unintentionally lost quite a lot of weight, had night sweats, chronic fatigue, a persistent cough and very enlarged lymph nodes.

> “But because of her age, it was obviously considered there wasn’t anything wrong.”

> Jess had contact with six different doctors at her GP surgery and three face-to-face consultations with a family doctor, but no referral to a specialist was made.

> “If a patient repeatedly presents with the same or similar symptoms, but the treatment plan does not seem to be making them better – or their condition is deteriorating – it is best practice to review the diagnosis and consider alternative approaches.”

This is so sad. 27.

It’s completely shameful and sad that so many GPs failed her.

I’m not a GP so definitely do not have the extent or breadth, depth and length of training they have, no contest, I’m a physio so I understand that I don’t know what I don’t know when it comes to serious pathology.

That being said one of the things that’s drilled into us in both uni, placements and NHS preceptorship is screening for red flag signs and symptoms or signs and symptoms which indicate serious pathology which need to be referred onwards for assessment. Could be emergency care, could be another department for investigations.

Systemic red flags: Unremitting and worsening pain, non mechanical in origin, sudden and or unexpected weight loss, systemic unwellness and general malaise.

That’s screened for every single patient we come across. There’s a few others, NVIFS – neurological, venous, infection, fracture, systemic depending how a patient presents. There’s also VINDICATE but I won’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of that, that’s for the medics.

It’s not like her notes wouldn’t be accessible too. How do you read her previous medical history, see the outcomes and consistent complaints which are worsening and NOT escalate this to a specialist?

When I was 17 I went to my GP and said I was losing a lot of weight and was tired. He told me I probably have an eating disorder (which I didn’t and even told him I was eating the same)

Next visit I said that my joints are sore and stiff, I can hardly move or do anything. He said I’d maybe have OA…. I was 17 and he loaded me up on ibuprofen.

Next I went in with all symptoms and rashes, 6 months later he decided to test my blood. The nerve he told me I should go private to get seen ASAP lol.

2 weeks later I was in a Rheumatolgoy ward, this was 2008. Doctors still doing the same thing now, “you’re too young” “you will be fine” “there’s nothing wrong” without doing the proper tests.