Interpretation of ‘overdiagnosis’ among participants who had not previously encountered the term (n=273): emerging (sub-)themes
| Category | Exemplar quote (spelling errors corrected) | n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Response not categorised or no knowledge | ||
| No knowledge | “Don't know.” | 103 (37.7) |
| Incoherent, irrelevant or too vague to categorise | “Going over the top.” | 44 (16.1) |
| Diagnosis-related responses | ||
| Overly negative or complicated diagnosis | “Diagnosing a disease to a worse state than actual.” | 30 (11.0) |
| False-positive diagnosis | “It sounds like being told you have things you don’t have.” | 13 (4.8) |
| Misdiagnosis | “The wrong diagnosis of an illness.” | 12 (4.4) |
| Overly detailed diagnosis | “Too much information on a probable problem.” | 9 (3.3) |
| Too many diagnoses | “Too many different diagnosis from various medical professionals.” | 6 (2.2) |
| Overdiagnosis | “Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health.” | 1 (0.4) |
| Test-related responses | ||
| Too many tests | “Too many health checks.” | 6 (2.2) |
| Treatment-related responses | ||
| Overtreatment | “Treating an illness in a stronger way than necessary.” | 6 (2.2) |
| Inappropriate treatment | “Wrong treatment or pills.” | 2 (0.7) |
| Unbeneficial treatment | “Giving medical assistance when there is no hope.” | 1 (0.4) |
| Responses related to patients’ psychology | ||
| Overthinking | “Complicating a problem by thinking too much about it.” | 15 (5.5) |
| Overly health-sensitive | “Worrying too much about health issues, continually seeking explanations.” | 10 (3.7) |
| Anticipating a worse diagnosis | “Looking at worst case scenario before having all the facts.” | 8 (2.9) |
| Other responses | ||
| Multiple (medical) opinions | “Too many people involved in a medical decision.” | 5 (1.8) |
| Defensive medicine | “Treatment, just to be on the safe side.” | 2 (0.7) |