Patients lie to their doctors for a variety of reasons such as judgement, embarrassment, and financial concerns. These reasons are different from consumer contexts where information disclosure risks include the loss of data to unknown third parties. Yet, the same theories are commonly used to frame both settings. This overextension of theory leads to important differences in the results of these studies. We propose that additional theorizing is needed to reconceptualize privacy calculus to more accurately explain healthcare patient disclosure. Using a hybrid methodology based on both a grounded theory approach and construal level theory, this study explores the perceived risks and benefits of health data and consumer data disclosure. The results reveal significant differences in psychological distance and construal levels between the two contexts which can improve future theorizing. This deeper understanding could help improve the accuracy of patient disclosure and reduce harm in clinical systems
