Early Detection of Pathological Gambling - Survey among GPs

Background: The Bachelor thesis "Early Detection of Pathological Gambling - Survey among GPs" deals with the issue of pathological gambling and the key role of GPs in this diagnosis. Pathological gambling also affects the health of an individual - causing stress, back pain and others. Therefore, it is important for GPs to realise this connection and then attempt to detect the issue early on with the help of screening tools. This thesis is divided into a theoretical part, dealing with the problems of pathological gambling, definition of concepts, interventions, impacts, prevention as well as professional treatments, and a practical part, which deals with the research itself. Aim: The aim of the research is to evaluate the interest of GPs in the field of pathological gambling in their patients. At the same time, it provides the basis for more detailed research in this area. Methods: A quantitative research method in the form of an online questionnaire created on Google forms, which was distributed by e-mail contact to GPs was used to obtain the data. Results: Overall, results show that although GPs are aware of the risks associated with pathological gambling, only a small part of them use any screening tools. The low interest of GPs may be in direct relation with an inadequate amount of information..