GPS who use ‘gut instinct’ instead of checklist are better at diagnosing cancer

DOCTORS who “go with their gut instinct” are better at diagnosing cancer than those who simply follow a checklist of symptoms, research suggests.

An Oxford University study examined how GPS took decisions to refer patients for investigation of symptoms which could indicate cancer, and found that when they recorded acting on intuition or instinct, patients were more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

It suggested that experience was key, showing that every extra year in age increased the likelihood that instinct was correct. Overall, the odds of a cancer diagnosis were four times higher when “gut feelings” were recorded by GPS making referrals, instead of only following checklists of symptoms, the analysis found.

Guidelines from the National Insitute of Health and Care Excellence advise GPS to act on any suspicion of cancer, not just on symptoms seen as “red flags”. Researchers said GPS were more likely to pick up on “non-verbal cues” such as the way a patient sat or spoke, or a change in appearance if they had got to know their patients.

One doctor told researchers: “If you know them well and see a dramatic change it’s a gut instinct.” Such signals give doctors a “sense of alarm” about an underlying problem, rather than point to a specific diagnosis, researchers said in their report, published in the British Journal of General Practice.

Dr Jonathan Leach, Honorary Secretary of the Royal College of GPS, said: “Intuition is something GPS develop by having close, trusting relationships with patients over time, and shouldn’t be ignored.” But he added: “Remote consultations pose challenges, not least the lack of non-verbal cues we often use to help us make a diagnosis.”