Perspective of healthy asymptomatic patients requesting general blood tests from their physicians: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Routine blood tests for young, healthy, asymptomatic patients have no proven value in early detection of diseases. Indeed, such tests have occasionally been found to be harmful. Although general blood tests are not recommended by evidence-based guidelines, patients frequently request referrals for these tests. A number of studies have examined the factors influencing doctors to prescribe such tests, yet little is known about patients’ perspectives on this topic. The present study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of young, healthy asymptomatic patients requesting general blood tests from their family physician. METHOD: Qualitative interviews with 15 healthy, asymptomatic patients aged 22–50 who requested general blood tests from their family physicians. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews within two weeks of their request. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged from the interviews: 1) Patients’ sense of personal responsibility and their belief that periodic blood tests are beneficial as an integral part of their health maintenance. 2) Patients’ need to receive external, objective and reliable validation about what is happening inside their bodies. 3) An acquaintance’s serious illness as a prompt to perform general blood tests in the belief that such tests can reveal latent conditions. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a substantial gap between patients’ attitudes and beliefs about general blood tests and current evidence-based guidelines. Implications for research and practice are discussed.