Relevance of Safety Netting in Handling Diagnostic Uncertainty in Primary Care

Abstract

Diagnostic uncertainty is a common occurrence in primary care due to varying degrees of factors which may be patient-related, physician-related, or place of practice-related. Safety ne ng is one of the options available in handling such diagnostic uncertainties. Although there is no consensus on what the contents or components of safety-ne ng advice should be, there are quite some that recur frequently. Safety ne ng is used widely and has been observed in 65% and 90% of consultations in England and Scotland, respectively. Safety ne ng is a key element of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum, features multiple consultation models and clinical guidelines, and is recognised as forming part of 'best practice' in primary care. This paper aims to bring this concept to the fore and see how to imbibe it into our primary care training and practice.