Box 1.

Topic guide used to structure the interview

Can you tell me about when you were last told you may have cellulitis? Prompts: What did you notice? What made you go and seek medical advice? How long did you wait to seek help? Who did you see? Why did you see this person? What happened then? Were any tests done? What do you think went well? Was there anything that might have been more helpful? How was this similar to previous cases of cellulitis you have had?

Can you tell me about any occasion when diagnosing your cellulitis was a problem? Prompts: What did you have on this occasion? At what point did you seek medical advice? What was diagnosed? Do you know why this was diagnosed? Did anything change from how you were? What did you do next? How long did you wait to seek advice again? What was done differently this time? Do you know what the final diagnosis was?

We are interested in how different people diagnose cellulitis Prompts: Who normally makes the diagnosis of your cellulitis? Are you confident that they will make the correct diagnosis? Would you see them again regarding cellulitis? Has your cellulitis ever been diagnosed by anybody else? If so, was there a difference in the approach that was used? What did they ask? What tests did they use? Has this changed who you would see in future?