Which guidance sources do GPs use when diagnosing less familiar conditions?

[Spudulike3]

Hello

If you are a GP or have experience in the area, I have a question:

How do GPs go about diagnosing things if they are not sure? What website or guidance document would you turn to in order to research a persons symptoms? Would this be NICE or another?

The reason I ask is I'm running a campaign to get a condition called Aerobic Vaginitis better known. What I'd like to find out is what documents / websites etc need to be updated to help with this.

Be really grateful if you could give me a working GP perspective.

Thanks!

I used cks. Clinical knowledge summaries which uses the NICE guidelines. If you look online there is one about vaginal discharge which includes BV. (Anaerobic vaginitis). It's a fairly common thing to think of. Otherwise if I was stuck I might chat to gynae.

Hello @Musicaltheatremum - thanks for that - I had not heard of CKS so I'll look into it. By the way it is aerobic vaginitis not anaerobic vaginitis and this is absolutely not the same thing as BV. See this article if you are interested www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0923250817300864

@Spudulike3 oops and I read that twice. I blame my lunch time wine. I am aware of it but interesting it's not mentioned in the cks guidelines.

No probs @Musicaltheatremum - yes it does absolutely need to be in CKS then. I've had accounts of women being fobbed off for literally years and given inappropriate treatments e.g. amitriptyline for supposed 'nerve pain'. It is a less common condition but a devastating one when it is not recognised and treated. Even sexual health clinics do not do the right tests if the patient even gets that far. Hence my campaign.

https://www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/media/v1uhrmkv/id-1244-vaginal-discharge-mar-2025.pdf

https://sti.bmj.com/content/93/1/8

If not well recognised or understood, I'd start with the specialists: microbiology, sexual health clinics, gynae and dermatology as they often have vulval skin specialists, then GPs with special interests in any of the above.

https://dermnetnz.org/topics/aerobic-vaginitis

This source is often used by UK based healthcare professionals

Thanks @MrGHost - I have noted this Scottish guideline previously and NICE reference material definitely needs to catch up such that patients in England are not being misdiagnosed. I will certainly include this point when writing letters to people.

GP notebook

It's well covered there, though.