Table 2 Participant themes and sub-themes

Pressures that promote over-testing

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)/ guidelines/protocol

Workload from secondary care

Fear of missing something

Patient led demand/expectation

Doing more tests at once to save nurse appointments later

Consequences of over-testing

Workload

Harms of testing

Uncertainty

Lack of evidence for clinical practice

How frequently to monitor

Doctors being uncertain about what other staff nurses/healthcare assistants are doing in their treatment room

Cost of tests