Safety-netting in the consultation

 Safety-netting has become a widely used term to describe an array of activities both within the consultation and on systems levels. Within the consultation, safety-netting is considered best practice, and often an expected clinical standard, particularly in primary and emergency care.12 The term was first coined by Roger Neighbour in 1987 as an in-consultation tool for managing clinical uncertainty.3 Safety-netting advice has since been defined as: “Information shared with a patient or their carer, designed to help them identify the need to seek further medical help if their condition fails to improve, changes, or if they have concerns about their health.”45 This article outlines the principles and evidence base (box 1) of safety-netting and offers an approach to giving effective safety-netting advice.