Abstract accepted for presentation on the EGPRN-conference in Riga (2017)

Background. The Gut Feelings Questionnaire (GFQ) is a ten items questionnaire based on consensus statements defining the sense of alarm and the sense of reassurance. The purpose of the GFQ is to determine the presence or absence of gut feelings in diagnostic reasoning of general practitioners (GPs). The seven items concerning gut feelings are validated, the other three concern the diagnostic work-up. The Dutch GFQ has been translated into English, French, Polish and German applying a linguistic validation procedure. The practicability of the GFQ has never been tested in real practice setting by GPs during office hours.

Aim. The aim was to test the GFQ in real practice setting and if any changes were needed to retest the adapted version.

Method. In the first phase, we performed a think aloud study with 48 Dutch GPs, GP-trainees and clerks filling in GFQs after reading six case vignettes, and a thematic content analysis of the verbatim. We then performed a feasibility study using a mixed methods approach with 42 French and Dutch GPs filling in the GFQ after each of eight consultations of patients with new complaints, and being interviewed about the use of the GFQ afterwards. In the second phase, after a linguistic validation procedure, we repeated the feasibility study using the adapted GFQ, with 40 French, Belgian, German and Dutch GPs.

Results. The first phase led to a small modification concerning the order of items, and to some adaptations of items’ wording.  A consensual version of the GFQ was defined while not altering the validated seven items. The GPs participating in the second phase of the study concluded that the adapted GFQ was easy to use in daily practice. The final results comparing the data from four countries will be presented at the conference.

Authors. Marie Barais, Johannes Hauswaldt, Daniel Hausmann, Margje van de Wiel, Tristan Montier, Paul Van Royen and Erik Stolper.