Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital

Shuang Xu; Jing Liu; Yun Chen; Qing Zhang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital

Shuang Xu

, Jing Liu

, Yun Chen

, Qing Zhang^*

Published in American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Volume 12, Issue 4)

Received: 20 September 2024 Accepted: 26 October 2024 Published: 31 October 2024

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Abstract

Background Patients with medically unspecified disease (MUD) may present at any disease stage, with clinical manifestations and test results that do not lead to a clear diagnosis, posing a common challenge in clinical settings. General practitioners, with their patient-centered approach and holistic medical models, have an advantage in diagnosing and treating MUD. Standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of MUD is a crucial skill for general practitioners. However, there is currently a lack of data on the treatment of MUD in general outpatient clinics of comprehensive tertiary hospitals. Objective This study examines the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in general outpatient clinics, offering insights for general practitioners in tertiary hospitals on diagnosing and treating MUS. It also serves as a foundation for standardizing the diagnostic and treatment protocols for MUD. Methods Select patients diagnosed with medically unspecified disease (MUD) who visited the outpatient department of our general medicine department between September 2021 and September 2022. Collect basic information and follow-up data for one year post-visit, and analyze the reasons for the initial visit and subsequent follow-up outcomes. Results A total of 576 patients with MUD received treatment at the general outpatient department, with an average age of (44.97 ± 13.50) years. There was no statistically significant difference in the age distribution among male and female MUD patients (P > 0.05). Chest pain was the most common reason for treatment of medically unspecified disease in the general outpatient department. Among patients treated for chest pain, there were more males than females (P < 0.05), and a greater number of patients were treated in specialized clinics compared to general clinics (P < 0.05), The majority of patients remained undiagnosed and had either 0 or no more than 2 visits within a year. There was no significant correlation between anxiety scores and age, although female patients, those with chest pain, healthcare staff, and non-smokers reported higher levels of self-anxiety. Conclusion MUD patients have various reasons for seeking medical treatment. General practitioners in comprehensive tertiary hospitals should make full use of relevant resources, attach importance to the full evaluation of the psychological status of MUD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment process of MUD, and provide more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services.

Published in	American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Volume 12, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
Page(s)	45-51
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Medically Unspecified Disease, Comprehensive Tertiary Hospitals, General Practice, Medical Treatment, Anxiety Score

References

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[3]	Zhou YF, Fang LZ, Yu DH, Ma L, Wang LY & Feng M. 2021. The orientation and development strategy of general medicine in general hospital [J]. Chinese General Medicine 13: 1581-1584+1591. https://doi.org/10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2021.00.163
[4]	Pan Q, Ren JJ, Zhang M, Yin ZX, He Q, Yao CJ & Wang Z. 2023. How does undifferentiated disease resonate with general practice at the same frequency? [J]. Chinese General Medicine 31: 3877-3883. https://doi.org/10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2022.W0007
[5]	Hilderink, P. H., Collard, R., Rosmalen, J. G., & Oude Voshaar, R. C. 2013. Prevalence of somatoform disorders and medically unexplained symptoms in old age populations in comparison with younger age groups: a systematic review. Ageing research reviews 12: 151–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2012.04.004
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[10]	Svansdottir, E., Hreggvidsdottir, S., Sigurdardottir, B., Benedikz, E., Andersen, K., & Karlsson, H. D. 2018. Non-cardiac chest pain and its association with persistent chest pain and poor mental well-being. Laeknabladid 104: 71–77. https://doi.org/10.17992/lbl.2018.02.172
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APA Style

Xu, S., Liu, J., Chen, Y., Zhang, Q. (2024). Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 12(4), 45-51. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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ACS Style

Xu, S.; Liu, J.; Chen, Y.; Zhang, Q. Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. Am. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 2024, 12(4), 45-51. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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AMA Style

Xu S, Liu J, Chen Y, Zhang Q. Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. Am J Clin Exp Med. 2024;12(4):45-51. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11,
  author = {Shuang Xu and Jing Liu and Yun Chen and Qing Zhang},
  title = {Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital
},
  journal = {American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine},
  volume = {12},
  number = {4},
  pages = {45-51},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  abstract = {Background Patients with medically unspecified disease (MUD) may present at any disease stage, with clinical manifestations and test results that do not lead to a clear diagnosis, posing a common challenge in clinical settings. General practitioners, with their patient-centered approach and holistic medical models, have an advantage in diagnosing and treating MUD. Standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of MUD is a crucial skill for general practitioners. However, there is currently a lack of data on the treatment of MUD in general outpatient clinics of comprehensive tertiary hospitals. Objective This study examines the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in general outpatient clinics, offering insights for general practitioners in tertiary hospitals on diagnosing and treating MUS. It also serves as a foundation for standardizing the diagnostic and treatment protocols for MUD. Methods Select patients diagnosed with medically unspecified disease (MUD) who visited the outpatient department of our general medicine department between September 2021 and September 2022. Collect basic information and follow-up data for one year post-visit, and analyze the reasons for the initial visit and subsequent follow-up outcomes. Results A total of 576 patients with MUD received treatment at the general outpatient department, with an average age of (44.97 ± 13.50) years. There was no statistically significant difference in the age distribution among male and female MUD patients (P > 0.05). Chest pain was the most common reason for treatment of medically unspecified disease in the general outpatient department. Among patients treated for chest pain, there were more males than females (P < 0.05), and a greater number of patients were treated in specialized clinics compared to general clinics (P < 0.05), The majority of patients remained undiagnosed and had either 0 or no more than 2 visits within a year. There was no significant correlation between anxiety scores and age, although female patients, those with chest pain, healthcare staff, and non-smokers reported higher levels of self-anxiety. Conclusion MUD patients have various reasons for seeking medical treatment. General practitioners in comprehensive tertiary hospitals should make full use of relevant resources, attach importance to the full evaluation of the psychological status of MUD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment process of MUD, and provide more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services.
},
 year = {2024}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital

AU  - Shuang Xu
AU  - Jing Liu
AU  - Yun Chen
AU  - Qing Zhang
Y1  - 2024/10/31
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
T2  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
SP  - 45
EP  - 51
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8133
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
AB  - Background Patients with medically unspecified disease (MUD) may present at any disease stage, with clinical manifestations and test results that do not lead to a clear diagnosis, posing a common challenge in clinical settings. General practitioners, with their patient-centered approach and holistic medical models, have an advantage in diagnosing and treating MUD. Standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of MUD is a crucial skill for general practitioners. However, there is currently a lack of data on the treatment of MUD in general outpatient clinics of comprehensive tertiary hospitals. Objective This study examines the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in general outpatient clinics, offering insights for general practitioners in tertiary hospitals on diagnosing and treating MUS. It also serves as a foundation for standardizing the diagnostic and treatment protocols for MUD. Methods Select patients diagnosed with medically unspecified disease (MUD) who visited the outpatient department of our general medicine department between September 2021 and September 2022. Collect basic information and follow-up data for one year post-visit, and analyze the reasons for the initial visit and subsequent follow-up outcomes. Results A total of 576 patients with MUD received treatment at the general outpatient department, with an average age of (44.97 ± 13.50) years. There was no statistically significant difference in the age distribution among male and female MUD patients (P > 0.05). Chest pain was the most common reason for treatment of medically unspecified disease in the general outpatient department. Among patients treated for chest pain, there were more males than females (P < 0.05), and a greater number of patients were treated in specialized clinics compared to general clinics (P < 0.05), The majority of patients remained undiagnosed and had either 0 or no more than 2 visits within a year. There was no significant correlation between anxiety scores and age, although female patients, those with chest pain, healthcare staff, and non-smokers reported higher levels of self-anxiety. Conclusion MUD patients have various reasons for seeking medical treatment. General practitioners in comprehensive tertiary hospitals should make full use of relevant resources, attach importance to the full evaluation of the psychological status of MUD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment process of MUD, and provide more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services.

VL  - 12
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Shuang Xu

Department of General Practice, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong, China

http://orcid.org/0009-0009-3222-8740
Jing Liu

Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong, China

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0480-9478
Yun Chen

Department of General Practice, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong, China

http://orcid.org/0009-0007-4893-4776
Qing Zhang

Department of General Practice, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong, China

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-2547

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Xu, S., Liu, J., Chen, Y., Zhang, Q. (2024). Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 12(4), 45-51. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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ACS Style

Xu, S.; Liu, J.; Chen, Y.; Zhang, Q. Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. Am. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 2024, 12(4), 45-51. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

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AMA Style

Xu S, Liu J, Chen Y, Zhang Q. Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital. Am J Clin Exp Med. 2024;12(4):45-51. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11,
  author = {Shuang Xu and Jing Liu and Yun Chen and Qing Zhang},
  title = {Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital
},
  journal = {American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine},
  volume = {12},
  number = {4},
  pages = {45-51},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcem.20241204.11},
  abstract = {Background Patients with medically unspecified disease (MUD) may present at any disease stage, with clinical manifestations and test results that do not lead to a clear diagnosis, posing a common challenge in clinical settings. General practitioners, with their patient-centered approach and holistic medical models, have an advantage in diagnosing and treating MUD. Standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of MUD is a crucial skill for general practitioners. However, there is currently a lack of data on the treatment of MUD in general outpatient clinics of comprehensive tertiary hospitals. Objective This study examines the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in general outpatient clinics, offering insights for general practitioners in tertiary hospitals on diagnosing and treating MUS. It also serves as a foundation for standardizing the diagnostic and treatment protocols for MUD. Methods Select patients diagnosed with medically unspecified disease (MUD) who visited the outpatient department of our general medicine department between September 2021 and September 2022. Collect basic information and follow-up data for one year post-visit, and analyze the reasons for the initial visit and subsequent follow-up outcomes. Results A total of 576 patients with MUD received treatment at the general outpatient department, with an average age of (44.97 ± 13.50) years. There was no statistically significant difference in the age distribution among male and female MUD patients (P > 0.05). Chest pain was the most common reason for treatment of medically unspecified disease in the general outpatient department. Among patients treated for chest pain, there were more males than females (P < 0.05), and a greater number of patients were treated in specialized clinics compared to general clinics (P < 0.05), The majority of patients remained undiagnosed and had either 0 or no more than 2 visits within a year. There was no significant correlation between anxiety scores and age, although female patients, those with chest pain, healthcare staff, and non-smokers reported higher levels of self-anxiety. Conclusion MUD patients have various reasons for seeking medical treatment. General practitioners in comprehensive tertiary hospitals should make full use of relevant resources, attach importance to the full evaluation of the psychological status of MUD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment process of MUD, and provide more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services.
},
 year = {2024}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Analysis of Medically Unspecified Disease in the General Outpatient Department of a Comprehensive Tertiary Hospital

AU  - Shuang Xu
AU  - Jing Liu
AU  - Yun Chen
AU  - Qing Zhang
Y1  - 2024/10/31
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
T2  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
SP  - 45
EP  - 51
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8133
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20241204.11
AB  - Background Patients with medically unspecified disease (MUD) may present at any disease stage, with clinical manifestations and test results that do not lead to a clear diagnosis, posing a common challenge in clinical settings. General practitioners, with their patient-centered approach and holistic medical models, have an advantage in diagnosing and treating MUD. Standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of MUD is a crucial skill for general practitioners. However, there is currently a lack of data on the treatment of MUD in general outpatient clinics of comprehensive tertiary hospitals. Objective This study examines the prevalence of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in general outpatient clinics, offering insights for general practitioners in tertiary hospitals on diagnosing and treating MUS. It also serves as a foundation for standardizing the diagnostic and treatment protocols for MUD. Methods Select patients diagnosed with medically unspecified disease (MUD) who visited the outpatient department of our general medicine department between September 2021 and September 2022. Collect basic information and follow-up data for one year post-visit, and analyze the reasons for the initial visit and subsequent follow-up outcomes. Results A total of 576 patients with MUD received treatment at the general outpatient department, with an average age of (44.97 ± 13.50) years. There was no statistically significant difference in the age distribution among male and female MUD patients (P > 0.05). Chest pain was the most common reason for treatment of medically unspecified disease in the general outpatient department. Among patients treated for chest pain, there were more males than females (P < 0.05), and a greater number of patients were treated in specialized clinics compared to general clinics (P < 0.05), The majority of patients remained undiagnosed and had either 0 or no more than 2 visits within a year. There was no significant correlation between anxiety scores and age, although female patients, those with chest pain, healthcare staff, and non-smokers reported higher levels of self-anxiety. Conclusion MUD patients have various reasons for seeking medical treatment. General practitioners in comprehensive tertiary hospitals should make full use of relevant resources, attach importance to the full evaluation of the psychological status of MUD patients, standardize the diagnosis and treatment process of MUD, and provide more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services.

VL  - 12
IS  - 4
ER  -

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