Reviewer's report
Title:Symptom Interpretation and Health Care Seeking in Ovarian Cancer
Version: 2Date:12 April 2011
Reviewer: Mairin O'Mahony
Reviewer's report:
Minor Essential Revisions
Abstract needs review in terms of typographical errors.
Overall conclusion is unclear and does not reflect the conslusion articulated on
page 16. Final sentence needs to be stronger- maybe stating that "These issues
need to be explored through further research on women's experience of the
diagnostic process for ovearian cancer?
Paper page 5
I suggest that Ethics and consent(page 8) is placed before the methods section.
Page 5:
Methods
line 1-2 edit: ... data of ....cancer, concerning their use of...services during the
year of diagnosis (2007).
Page 10 " Symptom development: the women's perspective" this heading is
inappropriate here- suggest replacing with heading of "Interviews"
Page 11:
Paragraph 2: suggest using the heading "Interview analysis" here.
Page 12 :
Paragraph 2: I would suggest renaming the theme" health seeking and treatment
start" to read "Health seeking and commencement of treatment". This needs to
be changed in next paragraphs and in Figure 1 also.
Paragraph 3:
Line 1 edit to: .....operationalistion of this theme"
Line 2: delete "general"
Line 6-7 edit to..."in order to bring about initial health care seeking and
subsequesnt specialist or hospital referral"
Paragraph 4 Line 3 : insert "s" to "informants"- same page 12 Line 5.
Page 12
Paragraph one:
Line three delete "the" to read "...women's actions"
Line 7 delete "As"
Line 9: specify length of time(what do you mena be along period of time?)
Paragraph 2
Line 4: put in brackets( ie Informant 7)
Page 12 Discussion
Paragraph 1
Line 3 : suggest change "as another consequence" to "Therefore,"
In addition, check/ clarify if women in most Western countries vist a
gynaecologist without a referral from a GP? (reference to support this?)
Paragraph 2 "averagely" change to "on average"
Page 13 first line change contacts "to" the GP to "with" the GP
Paragraph 2: edit first sentence:insert "the" GP
suggest changing sentence to read:"....prior to the GP becoming suspicious of an
ovarian malignancy"
Last sentence : insert fullstop after (34).
Last sentence edit as follows: ...procedures and develop clinical pathways....
Paragraph 3: suggest change "strain" to "burden"
Line 6: edit to: ...improve women's quality of life"
Line 7: insert "further" research...
Page 14
Paragraph 1
Line 3 edit to : " measure of patient delay makes".....
Clarify last sentence- be speific, regarding the pattern in the present study,is this
adressed in the next paragraph? If so, move the parapgraph up so that it follows
on from last sentence of paragraph 1.
Page 14 paragraph 3;
cultural background - expand a little this point is unclear.
Line 6-7 edit: ... "represented women's first contact.... and acted as the
gate-keepers....
Last paragraph;
change have suggested to "suggest"
Page 15
The impact of social status
line 3: edit to: "...level have a ...This finding was highlighted by Informant 7 who
said:.....
Suggest move last sentence up to follow the quotaion change "have proved far
more " (Line 10) to "are far more"
Middle sentence (lines 6-9) is difficult to follow- suggest edit and simplify.
Page 15
Conclusions
Line 2 insert" delay is "also"....
Line 3:
edit to: In the current study .....GPs prior to referral to specialists....
Page 16
Line 3-4: change to " since the presentaion of ovarian symptoms is....
next sentence needs clarifiation - it is too long. Suggest edit to two sentences.
Line 6-7: insert "who present "with" vague....to clinics which are....
Last paragraph
Line 1 edit : " All of the women had personal knowledge of....
Line 3-4 edit: "Both symptom presentaion and interpreation were crucial ....
Line 5-6: delete "furthermore"
Final sentence : this sentence needs to be stronger suggest editing to...
"further research on women's personal experiences of ......"?
Ensure that ideas presented here are also within the conclusion to the abstract.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Needs some language corrections before being
published
Statistical review: Yes, but I do not feel adequately qualified to assess the
statistics.