This Week in UK Guidance

From the GPAtlas Spotlight

Co-amoxiclav dosing table errors in paediatric suspension

Sandoz reported errors in dosing table for Co-amoxiclav paediatric suspension.

Read the topic: Otitis Media (OM) - Acute in The Ocean

Blood test cancer trial launches in 200 GP practices

NHS recruiting 20,000+ patients across 200 GP practices to evaluate blood tests for early cancer detection. Results will inform UK screening strategy.

Read the topic: Cancer with Vague Symptoms in The Ocean

Non-cancer diagnoses may mask cancer in primary care

Identified 37 non-cancer diagnoses associated with worse or better cancer outcomes across seven types.

Read the topic: Cancer with Vague Symptoms in The Ocean

Prostate cancer diagnosis: delays and diagnostic pathways

Study in Wales shows prostate cancer delays stem from patient barriers, GP uncertainty, and system factors rather than GP decision-making alone.

Read the topic: Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing in The Ocean

In case you missed it: the podcast

Endometriosis: the normal scan that proves nothing

The case. Hannah, aged 26, misses work each month with period pain, has deep pain during sex and a normal scan, and wants to be believed.

Three things for Monday

1. A normal scan or a normal examination does not rule out endometriosis. Believe the symptoms.
2. Start treatment, request a transvaginal ultrasound and refer at the same time, not one after another.
3. Do not send cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) to diagnose endometriosis. Ask early whether she is trying to conceive.

The journals

British Journal of General Practice: "It does feel different when you're seeing a colleague": A qualitative study of general practitioners' experiences of treating doctor-patients.

Qualitative study of 22 Australian GPs identified barriers to doctor-patients seeking care and strategies to support them, including maintaining professional boundaries while adapting to their expertise, and normalising help-seeking within the medical profession.

British Journal of General Practice: Molecular bacterial detection in nasopharyngeal swabs does not predict the clinical course of lower respiratory tract infections in primary care: an ancillary study of a randomized controlled trial.

Secondary analysis of 345 Swiss primary care patients found molecular bacterial detection in nasopharyngeal swabs did not predict disease course in lower respiratory tract infections.

BJGP Open: Defining the ideal artificial intelligence tool by and for GPs in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in France: a qualitative study.

Qualitative study of 11 French GPs identified that successful AI tools must be simple, rapid, integrated into existing software and clinician-controlled; major concerns centre on reliability, data governance and effects on doctor-patient relationships.

European Journal of General Practice: Patients' experiences of analgesic use for chronic musculoskeletal pain in primary care: An interview study in Germany.

Qualitative study of 17 German patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain found analgesics used as situational adjuncts, with non-pharmacological strategies often prioritised and patient decision-making shaped by trust and symptom burden.

BMC Primary Care: Rethinking primary-palliative care collaboration: insights from a mixed-methods study in a spanish region.

Mixed-methods study of primary and palliative care collaboration in Spain (118 primary care professionals and 17 focus group participants) found primary care most often consulted specialist palliative care service.

Topic of the week

Type 2 Diabetes & Insulin therapy (T2DM) in The Ocean, and its one-page summary in The Scope.

Earlier editions

• This Week in UK Guidance, 2 November 2026
• This Week in UK Guidance, 26 October 2026
• This Week in UK Guidance, 19 October 2026
• This Week in UK Guidance, 7 September 2026

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