Coeliac study features in BJGP podcast

Our project on understanding the patient’s experience of coeliac disease diagnosis, has featured in a British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) podcast.

Dr Alice Harper, an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow based at the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol spoke to Nada Khan for the BJGP podcast about her study on coeliac disease. Alice said:

“Approximately 70% of people who have coeliac disease in the UK do not know they have the condition and the pathway to diagnosis is changing so some people may be able to be diagnosed from blood tests alone.

“Hearing how people felt about their journey to diagnosis has highlighted areas that need to be addressed to improve the experiences of future patients.

“The adults we interviewed experienced uncertainty from living with symptoms and seeking an explanation for them, until getting their endoscopy test results.

“As the pathway to diagnosis is changing, we need to consider the patient experience and how we can reduce any uncertainty. Healthcare professionals could improve experiences by explaining the pathway to patients including what blood tests will be taken and how certain they can be of the results. If patients need to have an endoscopy, expected wait times and eating gluten should also be discussed. We need to ensure all patients receive appropriate follow-up and support.”

Listen to the podcast

Watch the BJGP video

Watch a short video from Alice’s podcast here.