Overview
Despite the extraordinary progress of modern medicine, somatic/physical symptoms unexplained by known organic illness remain a challenging problem. One third of primary care patients have unexplained somatic symptoms, accounting for a high proportion of consultations. They place a heavy burden on the health system with disproportionate consumption of resources, through repeated consultations with multiple providers, receive unnecessary investigations and symptomatic treatments, which maintain rather than resolve symptoms. Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are common across cultures, they do not vary according to geography or level of economic development, and is associated with negative illness perceptions, co-morbidity and disability. They are common after disasters and complex emergencies. Therefore, repeated consultation for these symptoms and the disability imposed by them are two important elements that have implications for the management of these patients. Underlying illness perceptions also play an important part.
Therefore the objectives are to make an evidence base presentation to:
- Clarify what Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS)are,
- Describe the scale of the problem,
- Use Patients Explanatory Model to understand MUS,
- Use Cognitive Behavioural Principles to manage these patient
