| GP decides patient is in need of a referral to the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway | Explain that the patient is being referred on the urgent suspected cancer pathway |
’… so I think we have to refer you as an urgent suspected cancer because you’ve got sort of more than a month’s history of difficulty swallowing …’ [GP204]
| Avoid using solely symptom-directed language |
’As far as this is concerned [pointing to left temple], I’ll contact the skin people, they’ll be at [name of hospital], I think they’ll see you … in the next couple of weeks, just to be absolutely certain what’s going ok.’ [GP284]
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| GP wants to explain why they are making a referral on the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway | Explain why the urgent suspected cancer pathway is being used | ’I think it’s worth referring you for further tests ‘cause you’re losing the weight.’ [GP232]
| Avoid stating that the only reason the GP wants a specialist appointment is to check out symptoms |
’And what I’d suggest I’d do is if I write down to [name of clinic], get the bowels checked out because obviously they know you pretty well, don’t they?’ [GP255]
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| GP wants to explain the 2-week-wait as a way to assuage patient anxiety | Use the reassurance of being seen quickly by a specialist |
’… you’ll be seen within 2 weeks, so really quite quickly.’ [GP248]
| Avoid intimating that the only reason that they are referring the patient is to get a rapid specialist opinion |
’It goes to the suspected cancer clinic but it doesn’t mean that you got cancer, it’s just a quicker way of getting the test done.’ [GP232]
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| GP wants to explain the likelihood of the symptoms being cancer | Explain that most people referred will not go on to receive a cancer diagnosis |
’ ... we refer people for suspected cancer and it’s even if there’s only about a 2% chance it might actually be cancer we’d rather refer 98 and it’s normal than miss those two … ‘ [GP264]
| Avoid specifying the individual’s risk unless using a risk tool | ’I think it’s very unlikely having examined you that there’s something worrying or sinister cancer-like going on’ [GP64]
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