Academic physicians' views on low-value services and the choosing wisely campaign: A qualitative study.

Background: In 2012, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation launched a campaign called Choosing Wisely which was intended to start a national dialogue on services that are not medically necessary. More research is needed on the in-depth reasons why doctors overuse low-value services, their views on Choosing Wisely specifically, and ways to help them change their practice patterns.

Methods: We performed a qualitative study of focus groups with physicians to explore their views on the problem of overuse of low-value services, the reasons why they overuse, and ways that they think could be effective at curbing overuse.