A value-based analysis of diagnostic testing for cancer related symptoms in primary care

The purpose of the project is to understand patient preferences and values around expectations for investigations for cancer symptoms at different thresholds in general practice. This relates to the concept of low value care and potential over-testing for clinical scenarios where the likelihood of an undiagnosed cancer is low, and alternative more efficient diagnostic strategies exist (e.g. symptom monitoring and safety-netting). The project includes assessing current practices of diagnostic testing for cancer symptoms, using existing GP datasets, and how these align with clinical practice guidelines for select cancer types. In addition, it seeks to model costs of diagnostic testing at different thresholds of cancer risk and examine consumer trade-offs between diagnostic strategies.