Systematic Text Condensation revisited: Advancing subjectivity and complexity in health care with qualitative thematic analysis*

Background: Systematic Text Condensation (STC) was introduced as a method for qualitative thematic analysis in 2012. Since then, STC has been increasingly tailored to advance knowing of subjectivity and complexity in medicine, health care and public health. STC is widely used but not always applied as intended. Aim: Drawing on substantial uptake of STC and instances of inconsistent adherence to its principles and procedures, this article revisits the method, highlighting advances in its epistemological assumptions and methodological approaches. Methods: This article retains the roadmap from 2012 while elaborating and nuancing aspects that require further attention. Readers familiar with the method should recognise what has changed and why it matters. Results: The original four-step analytic structure and key terms remain unchanged. Greater emphasis is placed on epistemological congruence, making explicit the assumptions underpinning subjectivity, interpretation and reflexivity, and their implications for methodological practice. The flow of inductive analysis is clarified from an early analytical focus based on preliminary themes through coding and synthesis. Procedural guidance is refined, particularly regarding empirically based abstraction through condensation in Step 3 and consistent use of terminology across the analysis steps. Implications for methodological practice: This updated version of STC entails a stronger commitment to epistemological assumptions and their methodological implications than the original presentation conveyed. By making these assumptions explicit and operationalising them through refined analytical procedures, STC now provides a stronger compass for navigating subjectivity and complexity in medical, health care and public health research.