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08/24/26

Online triage and cancer diagnostic activity in general practice: a cross-sectional study.

Paule, Armina; Atherton, Helen; Parsons, Joanne; Hiller, Louise; Abel, Gary. Br J Gen Pract.

Collection Topics
Big Three Conditions Equity, Access, and Timeliness Health IT Overdiagnosis
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Summary

Digital access may increase healthcare activity without necessarily improving diagnostic outcomes. This English cross-sectional study analyses 31.2 million online triage forms from 3,053 general practices with cancer diagnostic indicators. It finds that greater online-triage use was associated with more urgent suspected-cancer referrals and investigations, but not more cancer diagnoses or fewer emergency presentations. The results illustrate that increased referral volume may represent lower-yield activity rather than improved diagnostic performance.
Read the paper
Paule A, Atherton H, Parsons J, Hiller L, Abel G. Online triage and cancer diagnostic activity in general practice: a cross-sectional study. Br J Gen Pract. Epub 2026 Aug 24.