Table 3 Motivations for delayed healthcare seeking behaviour described by respondents (n = 236)

Motivations related to COVID-19

Fear of contamination

36 (15.2)

“I feared the risk of being contaminated with the virus in the emergency department”. I’m 79, so I won’t take any risk.

“Because I could get in contact with patients having COVID-19 in the waiting room”.

Not wanting to put pressure on services

27 (11.4)

“I knew that the emergency department was overcrowded”.

“I didn’t want to bother the [emergency department] staff with, again, another pancreatitis”.

Perceiving own complaints as less urgent/important

6 (2.5)

“We are dealing with a pandemic! My complaint seemed less urgent and not life-threatening”.

Limited access to emergency services

6 (2.5)

“The outpatient clinic was closed due to the lock-down”.

“I had the impression that the GP was difficult to reach”.

Stay home instructions from health professionals

5 (2.1)

“Because I already had a telephone consult. And I was told that I couldn’t come to the [GP] practice because of corona”.

Motivations not related to COVID-19

‘Wait-and-see attitude’

114 (48.3)

“Normally it would go over in a couple of days”.

Personal/practical considerations

18 (7.6)

“Discouraged by previous unsuccessful [hospital]treatments”.

“It’s a 50-km drive for me”.

“I was too sick to realize that I needed acute care immediately”.

Following medical advice or treatment plan

17 (7.2)

“I was told that this would go over on its own”.

Complaint develops during out-of-hours

7 (3.0)

“Because the weekend started. And then the complaints worsened”.