A Feasibility Study of Direct Access to an Abdominal ´Yes-No´ Pathway for Primary Care Patients

Background To optimise cancer outcome in Denmark, cancer diagnostic pathways should, beside cancer patient pathways (CPP) for alarm symptoms, also include a pathway for patients with vague and non-specific symptoms. Research has demonstrated that 50% of all cancers do not qualify for specific CPPs, although the majority of patients initially present symptoms in general practice. Hypothesis Direct access to an abdominal 'yes-no' pathway is feasible in general practice. Aim The aim of this study is to assess the implementation and clinical implications of direct access to an abdominal 'yes-no' pathway for primary care patients with vague and non-specific abdominal symptoms Materials and methods The study is a feasibility study in which all general practitioners (GPs) in the municipality of Silkeborg in Central Denmark Region are offered direct access to a newly developed abdominal ´yes-no´ pathway for both men and women aged 30 years or above, who present vague and non-specific abdominal symptoms in primary care. The abdominal ´yes-no´ pathway consists of: 1) Medical and objective examination, 2) Selected blood samples and a Fecal Immunochemical test (FIT), and 3) Abdominal ultrasound (US) and transvaginal US (TVUS) (for women). Perspectives This study will provide important knowledge on how to improve abdominal cancer diagnostics in general practice.