‘The health care system is more like a business’—medical overuse from the patients’ perspective in Germany: a qualitative study

Abstract

Objectives Medical 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.Design A qualitative study design, using elements of the Grounded Theory Approach by Strauss and Corbin.Setting Between 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.Participants We 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).Results The 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.Conclusions Medical 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.