Your GP is generally the first medical professional to contact when you feel unwell.
He or she is there to listen, reassure, offer advice and, in some cases, identify what’s wrong.
In some ways, the family doctor is like a social worker as they often deal with non-medical issues, such as housing, relationships or finances, which may be making you ill.
Some observers even say that today’s GPs have taken over the social and welfare role once filled by the parish priest.
GPs insist that their door is always open to any kind of problem. But are we making the best use of their time and, more importantly, our own?
Common symptoms
GPs say there are a handful of common symptoms that often have no treatment but take up a disproportionate amount of their time.
Minor ailments, such as coughs, back pain and headaches, account for one in every five trips to the GP in England.
Visits to the GP for conditions that can be self-treated costs the NHS an estimated £2 billion every year.
Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP from Basildon, Essex, says tiredness is one of the most common complaints among his patients.
The condition is so common that it’s got its own acronym, TATT, which stands for “tired all the time”.
Dr Hopcroft says few cases of TATT are due to physical illness, providing there are no other worrying symptoms, such as weight loss or severe thirst.
“Almost everyday we will have a patient say, ‘Doctor, I feel tired all the time,’" says Dr Hopcroft.
“It’s extremely rare to find anything wrong with these people, particularly if that’s their opening line.”
Dr Hopcroft hastens to add that any patient presenting with TATT should be taken seriously, dutifully examined as appropriate, and never be made to feel like a time waster or a hypochondriac.
But tiredness is very common. At any given time, one in every five people feels unusually tired, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
“More often than not their tiredness can be attributed to lifestyle factors, such as excess alcohol, bad diet, working too hard and poor sleep hygiene,” says Dr Hopcroft.
He has co-written Symptom Sorter, a guide for medical practitioners to the most common symptoms seen at GP and primary care level.
Coughs and colds
Coughs and colds are another group of symptoms that unduly take up a lot of GPs’ time.
Patients who visit their GP expecting a prescription for antibiotics will be disappointed because there's no magic cure for the common cold.
“The common cold is a viral infection,” says Dr Hopcroft. “Antibiotics do not kill viruses, so they're of no use for colds.”
The main treatment is to take paracetamol or ibuprofen, which can ease fever, aches and pains. They're available over the counter from a pharmacist.
Another symptom that takes up GP surgery time unnecessarily is fever in children. Most fevers in children are not serious and are due to common childhood infections, such as coughs, colds and other viral infections.
You can usually treat fever in young children at home, using infant paracetamol. For more information, see Birth to five: treating a high temperature.
“If we could get the message across to parents that you don’t need a doctor in the vast majority of fever cases, we would slash GPs’ winter workload,” says Dr Hopcroft.
“Parents get ‘fever phobic’, worrying about the temperature itself. But a fever is a normal immune response. The real issue is what’s causing the fever.”
But again, he says it’s a judgement call. Parents should make a decision based on whether or not their child seems significantly unwell, regardless of the fever. In other words, they should trust their instincts. If you’re worried about your child, speak to your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
Self care
Conditions such as tiredness, coughs and colds and childhood fever are among minor ailments that add up to 57 million GP consultations a year.
GPs say there are many minor conditions that can be treated at home in the first instance with self care methods and over-the-counter medicines, saving yourself time and trouble.
Get tips on treating 10 of the most common minor ailments and find out how your pharmacist can help.
While GPs would love to spend less time on some of these minor ailments, they pride themselves on their pivotal role in the health system.
“If you feel you have a reason to see your GP, no matter whether it’s a physical or psychological ailment, that’s perfectly fine by us,” says Dr Hopcroft.
“If you just need a bit of reassuring, that’s perfectly reasonable. This is our livelihood. It’s what we do.
“It’s far too hard and glib to say when you need to see a GP and when you don’t.”
