Why do People Consult course for GPs

This session will introduce some psycho-social ways of thinking about different influences on consulting behaviour. You will be asked to reflect on your own experiences. This session was reviewed by Sally Higginbottom and last updated in September 2014.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Explain why people delay going to the doctor when they are unwell
• Discuss what affects the timing of decisions to go to the doctor
• Discuss the relationship between everyday activities, past experience and decisions to use health services

As we shall see, large numbers of symptoms go unreported to Primary Care. To explore influences on consulting behaviour it is worth considering why patients don’t consult rather than why they do.