Coding framework for analysis of responses to “What do you think overdiagnosis means?”
| Theme | Explanation of theme |
|---|---|
| Overdiagnosis | |
| Exaggerating something that is there | Diagnosing a condition to be more serious/severe than what it actually is; overmedicalising; overcomplicating |
| Diagnosing something that is not there | Diagnosing a condition that the person does not actually have/does not exist |
| Too much diagnosis/too many diagnoses | Doctors making a diagnosis more frequently than what is needed/people being diagnosed with too many conditions |
| Overuse | |
| Overprescribing | Prescribing too many medications—more than is needed |
| Overtreatment | Unnecessary medical interventions and services provided, including referrals; overservicing |
| Overtesting | A doctor performing or a person having too many unnecessary tests to get a diagnosis |
| Others | |
| Doctors looking too much into things | Doctors looking too hard, too much or too often, for a problem to diagnose |
| Patients/people driving it | Patients/people who search for too much unnecessary medical information or are unusually anxious or worried about their health |
| Wrong diagnosis | Wrongly diagnosed with a condition (with no suggestion of exaggerating something) |
| Doctors financial gain as a driver | doctors whose ultimate goal is to make money or cover themselves for financial or litigation reasons |