Comprehensive Treatment Module for Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms - A Guide for General Practitioners.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS) pose a significant challenge in primary care.
• Effective management strategies are needed to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare burden.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive treatment module for general physicians to manage patients with MUPS in primary care.
• To provide a structured approach for diagnosis, referral, and treatment of MUPS.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to identify key components for MUPS management.
• Two-step Delphi technique involving experts in internal medicine, psychiatry, and clinical psychology for module validation.

Main Results:

• The developed module includes diagnosis, initial evaluation, referral strategies, and a detailed treatment plan.
• Treatment components encompass symptom discussion, rapport building, health counseling, stress management, cognitive strategies, and comorbidity management.

Conclusions:

• The module offers a unique, patient-specific, and holistic approach to MUPS management.
• Incorporates both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for comprehensive care.
• General Practitioners globally can utilize this module for effective MUPS patient management.