Table 1 Characteristics of the primary qualitative reports
N = 45 (100.0%) | |
|---|---|
Primary qualitative report characteristics | |
Study design | |
Qualitative | 37 (82.2%) |
Mixed methods | 8 (17.8%) |
Data collection methods | |
Interviews | 39 (86.6%) |
Focus groups | 3 (6.7%) |
Surveys with open-ended questions | 3 (6.7%) |
Data analysis methods | |
Content analysis | 9 (20.0%) |
Thematic analysis | 21 (46.7%) |
Grounded theory | 11 (24.4%) |
Interpretive phenomenological analysis | 2 (4.4%) |
Not reported | 2 (4.4%) |
For a single qualitative study, the RCT participants were sourced from: | |
1 RCT** | 31 (71.1%) |
Multiple RCTs** | 8 (15.5%) |
Not reported*** | 6 (13.3%) |
Number of RCT participants in each qualitative study | |
Median (Q1, Q3); n | 21.0 (15, 38); 1732 |
Was the primary qualitative study nested in the RCTs? | |
Yes | 27 (60.0%) |
Clinical domain | |
Oncology | 14 (31.1%) |
Chronic diseases | 12 (26.7%) |
Acute illnesses | 4 (8.9%) |
Mental health | 1 (2.2%) |
Trauma/orthopedics | 2 (4.4%) |
Obstetrics | 8 (17.8%) |
Urogynecology | 2 (4.4%) |
Mixed | 2 (4.4%) |
Publication year of primary qualitative study | |
Before 2005 | 6 (13.3%) |
CASP Tool Quality Appraisal | Yes |
Q1 Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research? | 45 (100.0%) |
Q2 Is a qualitative methodology appropriate? | 45 (100.0%) |
Q3 Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research? | 45 (100.0%) |
Q4 Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the research? | 36 (80.0%) |
Q5 Was the data collected in a way that addressed the research issue? | 17 (37.8%) |
Q6 Has the relationship between researcher and participants been adequately considered? | 15 (33.3%) |
Q7 Have ethical issues been taken into consideration? | 42 (93.3%) |
Q8 Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous? | 26 (57.8%) |
Q9 Is there a clear statement of findings? | 45 (100.0%) |