Completeness of reporting in the included studies
| Item | Studies reporting each item | No of studies (%) |
| Personal characteristics | ||
| Interviewer/facilitator identified | 19 20 23–25 27 30 32–34 40 66 70 78 79 | 15 (44) |
| Experience or training in qualitative research | 27 32 33 66 81 | 5 (15) |
| Relationship with participants | ||
| Relationship established prior to study commencement | 26 32 40 66 74–76 82 | 8 (24) |
| Participant selection | ||
| Selection strategy (eg, snowball, purposive, convenience, comprehensive) | 19–34 40 66–82 | 34 (100) |
| Method of approach or recruitment | 19–23 25–28 30–34 40 66–76 78–82 | 31 (91) |
| Sample size | 19–34 40 66–82 | 34 (100) |
| Number and/or reasons for non-participation | 20 21 24–30 32–34 66 69–73 75 78–80 | 22 (65) |
| Setting | ||
| Venue of data collection | 19 26 40 66 68 74–77 82 | 10 (29) |
| Presence of non-participants (eg, clinical staff) | 26 31 34 74 82 | 5 (15) |
| Description of the sample | 19–34 40 66–76 79–82 | 32 (94) |
| Data collection | ||
| Questions, prompts or topic guide | 19–34 40 66–76 78–82 | 33 (97) |
| Repeat interviews/observations | 22 23 31 34 73 80 | 6 (18) |
| Audio/visual recording | 20 21 23–34 40 66–68 70 71 73–79 81 82 | 30 (88) |
| Field notes | 26 28 34 68 70 71 79 | 7 (21) |
| Duration of data collection (interview or focus group) | 20 21 25 26 28 31 34 66 67 72–82 | 20 (59) |
| Protocol for data preparation and transcription | 19–28 30–34 40 66–70 72–77 79–82 | 31 (91) |
| Data (or theoretical) saturation | 21 22 25 27 32–34 66 67 76 79 80 | 12 (36) |
| Data analysis | ||
| Researcher/expert triangulation (multiple researchers involved in coding and analysis) | 19–21 23–34 40 66 67 71 73–80 82 | 28 (82) |
| Derivation of themes or findings (eg, inductive, constant comparison) | 19–34 40 66–68 71–82 | 32 (94) |
| Use of software (eg, NVivo, HyperRESEARCH, Atlas.ti) | 20 21 23 26 28–30 40 66–68 70 73 76–78 80 | 17 (50) |
| Participant feedback on findings | 21 23 31 32 73 79 | 6 (18) |
| Reporting | ||
| Participant quotations or raw data provided (picture, diary entries) | 19–22 24–34 40 66 67 70–75 77–82 | 30 (88) |
| Range and depth of insight into participant perspectives (thick description provided) | 19–34 40 66–68 73–75 78–81 | 27 (79) |