Trends in use of the new MeSH term "overdiagnosis": A bibliometric review

Although the concept of overdiagnosis was first referenced in MEDLINE 100 years ago, consensus on a clear definition has been lacking. In 2021, the MeSH term "Overdiagnosis" was officially introduced, which defined the concept. A key goal of the new term is to improve the reliability of literature searches and enhance the conceptual understanding of overdiagnosis.

We conducted a systematic bibliometric review of all citations indexed under the MeSH term for "Overdiagnosis" in MEDLINE. We compared the citations with citations identified through a text-word search for overdiagnosis not indexed under the MeSH term. Searches were performed on 15 September 2024.

We found that a higher percentage of citations indexed under the new MeSH term used it according to the definition compared with the text-word search (73.2% vs. 49.5%). The remainder used the term to describe misdiagnosis, false positives, and overtreatment. The citations indexed under the MeSH term were primarily descriptive in nature (68.7%), focusing on oncology (54.2%) and screening practices (31.2%).

Despite advancements, the field of overdiagnosis is still in its early stages, with potential for expansion into studies addressing prevention and mitigation strategies. The introduction of the MeSH term has facilitated some degree of conceptual alignment.

Our review provides insights into the current state of the overdiagnosis literature, emphasising prevalent themes and areas for further research, and improvements in MeSH indexing accuracy. Residual conceptual ambiguity surrounding overdiagnosis terminology and indexing practices may explain discrepancies in MeSH categorisation and definition adherence.