Table 2.

Thematic structure mapped on to appraisal and help-seeking intervals of the model of pathways to treatment¹⁸

Interpretation of symptoms (appraisal interval)	Response to symptoms (help-seeking interval)
Patient factors  Normalising	Patient factors  Self-management   Adopting a lay system of care  Competing demands
Disease factors  Existing illnesses/predisposed Cancer as a possible cause	Disease factors  Perceived seriousness  Persistence  Previous symptom experience
	Healthcare provider and system factors  Worry about wasting the general practitioners' time Difficulty in getting an appointment Gender of the general practitioner