Doctors should trust their gut feelings, new study shows

A study published in the British Medical Journal has underlined the importance of doctors acting upon "gut feelings" about serious illnesses in children.

Researchers from Oxford and Belgium have carried out an observational study using data from 3,890 primary care patients aged up to 16 years old in Flanders in 2004, in order to determine what value gut feelings can add to a diagnosis.

It was found that 21 of the children were eventually admitted to hospital with a serious infection and nine were not referred at first contact, but in four of these cases this was despite the doctor having an instinctive feeling that something was wrong.

The report authors said medical teachings should state that an "inexplicable gut feeling is an important diagnostic sign and a very good reason for seeking the opinion of someone with more paediatric expertise or performing additional testing".

In the UK, around 90 percent of people's contact with the NHS is with primary care service providers, including GP practices, dental surgeries and community pharmacies.