Table 1

Inclusion and exclusion criteria based on the Population-Concept-Context framework

Inclusion criteriaExclusion criteria
PopulationPrimary care settingsNon-primary care settings
Primary care physicians, family physicians or general practitioners
  • Any sex, gender, age

  • Providing longitudinal primary care in solo or group setting

  • In community or office settings

Primary care physicians
  • Providing care in facility settings, such as hospitalists and long-term care facilities

Care providers other than primary care physicians, such as specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses or allied care providers
Patients
ConceptClinical integration
  • The coordination process of healthcare services across time, place and discipline

  • For any patients regardless of demographics, socioeconomic status, ethnic background or health conditions

  • For essential healthcare services to promote health, prevent diseases and manage health conditions, such as laboratory and imaging services, community and home care services, social support services and specialist/allied care provider consultations

  • The process involves service determination (a.k.a. disease management, care planning, treatment decisions), referrals connecting patients to the required services and communication among all involved services

Clinical integration for non-essential healthcare services
  • Not routinely delivered by family physicians

  • Not to promote health and prevent or manage health conditions

  • Experimental healthcare services, such as stem cells, gene therapy

  • Cosmetic care

  • Services for health tourists who travel to another country for healthcare services

Experience when integrating and coordinating healthcare services
  • Factors

  • Barriers

  • Challenges

  • Facilitators

Other outcomes when integrating and coordinating healthcare services
  • Satisfaction

  • Health service utilisation

  • Hospitalisation rate

  • Self-management (chronic disease)

  • Disease control (chronic disease)

ContextPublication time is limited to 2011–2021Publication time prior to 2011 as information published prior to 2011 will be included in reviews published during 2011–2021
Articles are limited to English-language due to cost considerationNon-English studies
Qualitative data is considered to gather in-depth insights on the topic. Reviews are considered due to breadth of the topic and lots of single studies have been synthesised into reviews.
  • Qualitative review articles

  • Qualitative systematic reviews

  • Mixed-methods reviews

  • Mixed-methods systematic reviews

Studies that are not reviews using qualitative data
  • Quantitative review articles

  • Quantitative systematic review

  • Single study, such as observational study, clinical trial, cohort study, case study

  • Reports

  • Abstracts

  • Conference proceedings, guidelines