ArticleBMJ open2024
'The health care system is more like a business'-medical overuse from the patients' perspective in Germany: a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness of Shared Decision Making: Evidence from a Prospective Multicenter Study Evaluating a Hospital-Based Intervention in Germany.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2026Article
- 'Harm? I don't think so!': medical overuse from the perspective of allied health professionals in Germany - a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesMedical overuse exposes patients to unnecessary risks of harm. It is an open question whether and how patients perceive the concept of medical overuse, its causes and negative consequences.
designA qualitative study design, using elements of the Grounded Theory Approach by Strauss and Corbin.
settingBetween May 2017 and January 2020, we recruited participants and conducted face-to-face interviews in the participants' homes. Data collection took place in Bavaria, Germany.
participantsWe recruited 16 participants (female=8, male=8) with various characteristics for the study. We used different strategies such as flyers in supermarkets, pharmacies, participants spreading information about the study or local multipliers (snowball sampling).
resultsThe participants mostly defined medical overuse as too much being done but understood the concept superficially. During the interviews, most participants could describe examples of medical overuse. They named a variety of direct and indirect drivers with economic factors suspected to be the main driver. As a consequence of medical overuse, participants named the physical and emotional harm (eg, side effects of medication). They found it difficult to formulate concrete solutions. In general, they saw themselves more in a passive role than being responsible for bringing about change and solutions themselves. Medical overuse is a 'problem of the others'. The participants emphasised that health education is important in reducing medical overuse.
conclusionsMedical overuse was little discussed among participants, although many participants reported experiences of too much medicine. Health education and strengthening the patients' self-responsibility can play a vital role in reducing medical overuse.
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Registered trials
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