Being able to sort the majority of patients who have self-limiting and benign medical conditions from those who need more urgent investigation or referral because they may have a potentially serious underlying disorder remains a key challenge for GPs. This can be a difficult task, given the wide range of medical problems in general practice and the time constraints under which GPs often have to work. Searching for alarm symptoms, signs or diagnostic tests—or ‘red flags’—can help with ‘ruling in’ and ‘ruling out’ serious diagnoses, such as cancer, myocardial infarction or stroke. This article discusses the usefulness—and limitations—of red flags in clinical practice.
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