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This qualitative descriptive study used inductive thematic analysis of purposively sampled adults attending a surgical SDEC in England, using semi-structured interviews conducted at least two weeks after discharge. Findings identified uncertainty and fear, mixed communication and explanation during consultation, and unresolved distress after consultation, with inconsistent follow-up. Structured, patient-centred care with clear explanations and standardized follow-up may improve experiences and outcomes.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/how-does-nothing-show-up-when-im-in-so-much-agony-a-qualitative-study-exploring-patient-experiences-of-non-specific-abdominal-pain-in-acute-surgical-care/407877/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/how-does-nothing-show-up-when-im-in-so-much-agony-a-qualitative-study-exploring-patient-experiences-of-non-specific-abdominal-pain-in-acute-surgical-care/407877.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"McQueen","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What condition does the study focus on and why is it challenging?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study focuses on non-specific abdominal pain in acute care. It is diagnostically challenging because investigations may be normal, leaving patients without a clear diagnosis.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How was the research conducted?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The study used a qualitative descriptive design with inductive thematic analysis. 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This study explores the experiences of patients attending a surgical same‐ day emergency care (SDEC) unit with non‐specific abdominal pain.  \nDesign: Qualitative descriptive study using inductive thematic analysis.  \nMethods: 23 adults (aged ≥ 18years) presenting with acute non‐specific abdominal pain to a surgical SDEC in England were purposively sampled. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted at least 2 weeks after discharge and thematically analysed inductively, iteratively and collaboratively by a team of psychiatrists, surgeons and a lived experience co‐researcher.  \nResults: Three themes were identified: (1) The journey to the SDEC—participants described uncertainty and fear about potential diagnoses and varied thresholds for help‐seeking,(2) The consultation—while many appreciated rapid access to care, experiences of communication and explanation were mixed, with some feeling dismissed or confused by the absence of a clear diagnosis, and (3) Post‐consultation reflections—some felt reassured by normal test results, while others struggled with persistent symptoms, a lack of follow‐up, and ongoing uncertainty. Discussions around psychosocial factors were rare. Conclusions: Acute non‐specific abdominal pain can be distressing for patients, even after attending acute surgical services, particularly when communication is perceived to be unclear and follow‐up is inconsistent. A more structured, patient‐centred approach, including standardised follow‐up, clear explanations and sensitivity to psychosocial factors, could improve experiences and possibly outcomes for this group.  \nPatient and Public Contribution: A patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) group, comprising individuals with lived and living experience of persistent physical symptoms, shaped the scope and design of the research and co‐produced the interview topic guide. A lived experience representative was actively involved in data analysis, interpretation and manuscript preparation.  \nThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.  \n© 2025 The Author(s) . Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.  \nHealth Expectations, 2026; 29:e70540 1 of 10  \n[https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70540](https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70540)  \n1 | Introduction  \nAcute abdominal pain is defined as pain of non‐traumatic origin with a maximum duration of 7 days [1] and is the most common presentation to surgery [2], as well as accounting for 4%–10% of all emergency department (ED) attendances [3] . Same‐day emergency care centres (SDECs) have been introduced to rapidly assess and investigate patients presenting to the hospital wi","cbCairqDucGEzlKZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairqDucGEzlKZ","pdf",494804,"English","# Introduction\n## Acute abdominal pain and same-day emergency care centers\n## Knowledge gaps about patient experiences\n# Methods\n## Study design and sampling\n## Data collection and analysis\n# Results\n## Theme 1: Journey to the SDEC\n## Theme 2: The consultation\n## Theme 3: Post-consultation reflections\n# Discussion and Conclusion\n## Implications for communication and follow-up","[{\"question\":\"What condition does the study focus on and why is it challenging?\",\"answer\":\"The study focuses on non-specific abdominal pain in acute care. It is diagnostically challenging because investigations may be normal, leaving patients without a clear diagnosis.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the research conducted?\",\"answer\":\"The study used a qualitative descriptive design with inductive thematic analysis. Twenty-three adults were purposively sampled and interviewed at least two weeks after discharge, with analysis done iteratively and collaboratively.\"},{\"question\":\"What did patients report during and after attending acute surgical care?\",\"answer\":\"Patients described uncertainty and fear on the journey to the SDEC, mixed experiences of communication and explanation during consultation, and varied outcomes afterward—some were reassured by normal tests, while others struggled with persistent symptoms and limited follow-up.\"}]","How Does Nothing Show Up When I'm in So Much Agony? - A Qualitative Study Exploring Patient Experiences of Non-Specific Abdominal Pain in Acute Surgical Care | PDF",1790576712,25]