Table 1 Questionnaire based on the consensus statements

A ‘sense of reassurance’ means that a family physician feels secure about the further management and course of a patient’s problem, even though he/she may not be certain about the diagnosis: everything fits in.

1(SR)

I feel confident about my management plan and/or about the outcome: it all adds up.

A ‘sense of alarm’ implies that a family physician worries about a patient’s health status, even though he/she has found no specific indications yet; it is a sense of ‘there’s something wrong here’.

2(SA)

I am concerned about this patient’s state of health: something does not add up here.

A ‘sense of alarm’ activates the diagnostic process by stimulating a family physician to formulate and weigh up working hypotheses that might involve a serious outcome.

3(SA)

In this particular case, I will formulate provisional hypotheses with potentially serious outcomes and weigh them against each other.

A ‘sense of alarm’ means that a family physician perceives an uneasy feeling as he/she is concerned about a possible adverse outcome.

4(SA)

I have an uneasy feeling because I am worried about potentially unfavorable outcomes.

A ‘sense of alarm’ means that, if possible, the family physician needs to initiate specific management to prevent serious health problems.

5(SA)

This case requires specific management to prevent any further serious health problems.

6(SA)

This patient’s situation gives me reason to arrange a follow-up visit sooner than usual or to refer him or her more quickly than usual to a specialist.

7(FJ)

Please indicate what kind of gut feeling you had at the end of the consultation:

* Something is wrong with this picture.

* Everything fits.

* Impossible to say, or not applicable.