Background. Somatoform symptoms are common in primary care and can pose a challenge. So far, there have been hardly any studies that look at how general practitioners (GPs) deal with such patients. In particular, strategies for creating a sustainable doctor-patient relationship have hardly been researched. Objectives. The study determined how GPs perceive the symptoms of somatoform disorders in everyday care, what importance they attach to them and how they deal with affected patients. The main focus is on experienced patient characteristics, suspected causes of somatoformdisorders, challenges in medical consultation, care and stabilization strategies as well as on diagnostic tools. Materials and methods. In the course of a written survey a total of 1398 GPs in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate were anonymously interviewed between January and April 2023. A t-test was used to determine significant differences between two groups in independent samples. Results. Respondents name numerous strategies with which they have had positive experiences when it comes to stabilizing patients. The creation of a tangential doctor-patient relationship is accompanied bymeasures to consistently rule out physical causes and to be able to assess patients as well as possible, while gently introducing them to the clinical picture of somatoform disorders. Most doctors are not aware of current guidelines for the care of these patients.Working with specialists and therapists is widely described as difficult. Conclusion. General practitioners access a wide range of communication and stabilization strategies when managing somatoformphysical symptoms. Nevertheless, contact with this group of patients is experienced as difficult in everyday practice. In the long term, in addition to the creation of more therapeutic care capacities and interdisciplinary structures, itwould be helpful to strengthen low-threshold therapy and support offers.
