Table 1.
Actions taken for symptoms experienced in the last two weeks (proportion of symptoms)*
| Level of seriousness based on GP ratings | Symptoms | n^ | Did nothing at all † | Looked for information | Discussed with friends & family | Took over-the-counter medicines | Phoned NHS24/NHS Direct | Consulted nurse | Consulted pharmacist | Consulted comple-mentary therapist | Consulted GP (on phone or in person) | Took prescribed medicines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feeling tired/run down | 887 | 69.9 | 3.0 | 13.6 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 6.8 | 4.4 |
| Difficulty sleeping | 607 | 64.3 | 3.1 | 11.9 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 6.8 | 7.4 | |
| Sore throat | 411 | 44.0 | 1.9 | 9.0 | 43.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 7.3 | 5.4 | |
| Cold or flu symptoms | 372 | 38.4 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 51.6 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 6.7 | 4.0 | |
| Diarrhoea | 266 | 60.9 | 1.5 | 5.6 | 17.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0 | 7.1 | 10.2 | |
| Loss of appetite | 117 | 74.4 | 4.3 | 12.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | 0 | 10.3 | 3.4 | |
| 2 | Back pain | 653 | 40.9 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 29.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 13.6 |
| Nervousness/anxiety | 405 | 55.3 | 3.2 | 18.0 | 5.4 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 10.9 | 11.1 | |
| Cough | 372 | 52.7 | 1.6 | 7.8 | 31.7 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 6.2 | 0.5 | 7.0 | 6.2 | |
| Nausea/feeling sick | 259 | 68.3 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | |
| Constipation | 203 | 46.8 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 24.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 4.4 | 15.3 | |
| Vomiting | 95 | 63.2 | 1.1 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 0 | 13.7 | 6.3 | |
| 3 | Headaches | 845 | 23.0 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 65.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 7.6 |
| Joint pain | 678 | 35.4 | 4.6 | 10.3 | 28.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.4 | 17.7 | |
| Indigestion/heartburn | 392 | 29.6 | 2.0 | 6.1 | 51.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 5.6 | 14.3 | |
| Feeling depressed | 353 | 53.0 | 4.0 | 17.8 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 13.3 | 15.9 | |
| Stomach/abdominal pain | 337 | 42.7 | 3.3 | 10.4 | 24.0 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 13.9 | 19.3 | |
| Dizziness | 194 | 69.1 | 1.5 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 8.8 | 9.3 | |
| Wheezy chest | 158 | 41.1 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 11.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 16.5 | 33.5 | |
| Fainting | 14 | 64.3 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 | 7.1 | |
| 4 | Shortness of breath | 176 | 47.7 | 2.3 | 9.1 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 0 | 18.2 | 31.8 |
| Blood in stool | 52 | 57.7 | 5.8 | 11.5 | 5.8 | 0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | 23.1 | 7.7 | |
| Unintentional weight loss | 37 | 59.5 | 5.4 | 16.2 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0 | 5.4 | 0 | 27.0 | 5.4 | |
| 5 | Chest pain | 108 | 52.8 | 1.9 | 13.0 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 15.7 | 19.4 |
| Coughing up blood | 4 | 75.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | |
| ALL SYMPTOMS | 7994 | 48.6 | 2.6 | 9.8 | 25.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 8.3 | 11.1 | |
* Respondents could tick as many boxes as they wanted to reflect that they may have taken more than one action for their symptoms in the last two weeks
^ For each of the 25 individual symptoms n refers to the number of different individuals reporting the symptom in the previous two weeks. For all symptoms combined n refers to the total number of symptoms experienced in the last two weeks (since people reported multiple symptoms the n does not refer to the number of individuals)
† Refers to individuals who ticked the 'did nothing' option and ticked no other actions