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Table 2 Descriptive characteristics of the included reviews. (n = 30)

From: Patients’ perceptions with musculoskeletal disorders regarding their experience with healthcare providers and health services: an overview of reviews

Review

Systematic or scoping review

Country

Settings

No. of studies

Designs of the included studies

Musculoskeletal disorder

Outcomes

Verbeek, 2004 [50]

Systematic review

The Netherlands

Not reported

20

12 qualitative, 8 quantitative

Non-specific low back pain

Relational and functional aspects

O’Neill, 2007 [40]

Systematic review and meta-synthesis

United Kingdom

Hospitals, a church or a senior center, or orthopedic surgeons waiting lists

10

All 10 articles are qualitative studies. Four of the studies applied a Grounded Theory approach to analyze the data; four adopted a Content Analysis approach, one applied Interpretative Phenomenology and one Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Patients with osteoarthritis who either have already received total knee replacement or are on the waiting lists of knee replacement surgery or do not want to have surgery.

Relational and functional aspects

Slade, 2010 [23]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Not reported

11

Not reported

Low back pain

Relational and functional aspects

Campbell, 2011 [44]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Not reported

17

7 cohort studies, 10 cross-sectional studies

Non-specific spinal pain

Relational and functional aspects

Hush, 2011 [51]

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Australia

Private clinics, hospital outpatient clinics, spine clinics, and an athlete rehabilitation clinic

15

9 cross-sectional patient surveys, 2 clinical trials, 1 longitudinal cohort study, and 3 qualitative studies

Seven studies investigated patients with mixed musculoskeletal or soft tissue injuries, 6 studies investigated patients with back pain, and one study investigated athletes with lower-limb injuries.

Relational and functional aspects

Doyle, 2013 [10]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Primary and secondary care including hospitals and primary care centers.

55

15 systematic reviews/meta-analysis, 40 individual studies

Varied (cardiac, cancer, diabetes, pulmonary, acute, hypertension, chronic, pain, mental health, general, other)

Relational and functional aspects

Hopayian, 2014 [47]

Scoping review

United Kingdom

Spinal triage service, general practice, pain clinic, back clinic (osteopath and acupuncturist), physiotherapy, X-ray department, physiotherapy, and acute care services, chiropractic, university campus, community, back pain rehabilitation

28

Qualitative studies, mixed-method studies, questionnaire surveys using open questions to collect and interpret data qualitatively, and qualitative studies that were parallel to or imbedded in trials or observational studies.

Low back pain, sciatica

Relational and functional aspects

Slade, 2014 [49]

Systematic review and meta-analysis

United Kingdom

Not reported

15

15 qualitative studies

Chronic non-specific chronic low back pain

Relational and functional aspects

Zuidema, 2015 [38]

Scoping review

The Netherlands and Belgium

Not reported

17

Cross-sectional studies, and a single group longitudinal design

Rheumatoid arthritis

Relational and functional aspects

Fu, 2016 [37]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Not reported

10

Not reported

Chronic back pain

Relational and functional aspects

O’Keeffe, 2016 [41]

Systematic review and meta-synthesis

Ireland and Australia

Not reported

13

5 used semi-structured interview, 5 used focus group, 1 used Cross-case analysis/interview, 1 used nominal group technique interview, and 1 used mixed-methods

Patients with subacute, chronic, non-specific or intermittent low back pain, neck pain, or musculoskeletal conditions. Physical therapists working in primary care, for patients who have undergone torture or specializing in Norwegian psychomotor physical therapy

Relational and functional aspects

McMurray, 2016 [48]

Systematic review

Canada

Outpatient rehabilitative care, inpatient rehabilitative care hospital, rehabilitation in acute care hospitals and hospital to the community

33

14 used a quantitative method, 2 used survey, 10 used Cross-sectional, 4 used mixed methods, 1 used comparative psychometric testing, 1 used randomized controlled trial and 1 is a descriptive, structured literature review.

Heterogeneous, described as those characterized by issues with musculoskeletal disorders, stroke/neurology, frail/older adults and medical complexity, multiple sclerosis, occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders, cardiopulmonary disorders, or rheumatologic disorders or were discharged patients, inpatients, patients with stroke and their caregivers, patients and their physicians, patients, patients receiving unspecified rehabilitative care, or amputees

Relational and functional aspects

Wluka, 2016 [54]

Scoping review

Australia

Not reported

323

Not reported

Inflammatory arthritis specifically rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, back pain, neck pain, and osteoporosis

Relational and functional aspects

Chou, 2017 [21]

Scoping review

Australia

Rheumatology clinics, outpatient screening unit at a teaching hospital, fracture clinic of a large teaching hospital, health maintenance organization, centers performing bone densitometry, outpatient clinics in osteoporosis centers, emails, advertisements in a tertiary hospital medical center newsletter, National Osteoporosis Society support groups, osteoporosis exercise classes, South Asian community centers, urban fracture clinic, academic primary care sites

33

19 studies used quantitative methods, 14 used qualitative methods

Osteoporosis (patients were classified as having osteoporosis based on bone densitometry in 7 studies, requiring prescription medications in 6 studies or based on previous fragility fractures or high risk of osteoporotic fractures in 8 studies. The diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia was unspecified in 13 studies)

Relational and functional aspects

Papandony, 2017 [22]

Scoping review

Australia

Public and private hospitals, acupuncture clinics, pharmacies, outpatient orthopedic clinic at local hospital, private general practice clinic, retirement, own home, primary care community clinics, solo practitioners’ walk-in clinics, hospital-based family medicine units, participants from long-term studies, ambulatory care clinic, regional orthocenter, single surgeon practice, university medical center

21

9 studies used quantitative methods, including written questionnaires, computer questionnaires or interviews. 12 studies used qualitative methods including focus groups and individual interviews. 1 study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods with interviews, patient diaries, and group teaching sessions

Osteoarthritis

Relational and functional aspects

Wijma, 2017 [24]

Systematic review

Belgium and the Netherlands

Private physiotherapy practices, health sciences center in a university, respondent’s or researcher’s workplace, home, onsite observation in an academic medical center, or national health service hospital; physiotherapy practices, rehab centers in various countries

14

4 used grounded theory; 1 used nominal group technique; 2 used ethnography; 1 used a descriptive qualitative approach; 1 used phenomenography; 2 used phenomenology; and 3 have no specific design

Studies recruited participants not limited to patients with musculoskeletal disorders as well as therapists working in various fried of rehabilitation setting

Relational and functional aspects

Hulen, 2017 [43]

Systematic review

United States

Hospitals, rehab centers, clinics

22

Qualitative (N = 12), quantitative (N = 9) and mixed-methods (N = 1) designs

Rheumatoid arthritis

Relational and functional aspects

Gillespie, 2017 [46]

Scoping review

United Kingdom and Canada

Pre-hospital care, acute medical ward, Medical Specialties, Obstetric Care, Hospital Care, geriatric care, General practice, Palliative care, Outpatient physiotherapy/ rehabilitation services, Outpatient physiotherapy/ rehabilitation services, Careers/Cancer service uses/ older people/ men’s health/ parents/ human immunodeficiency virus service users, Fertility clinic, Intensive care unit, Community hospice programs, Oncology, Primary care, Ambulatory care, Academic medical center, Psychiatric care, Lymphoma care, Geriatric ward, Palliative care, illicit drug users, regional hospital

44

Primary and secondary studies using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs

Not reported

Relational and functional aspects

Chou, 2018 [19]

Scoping review

Australia

Family care center in Memorial Hospital, general practitioner practices, outpatient clinics, chiropractic offices, physical therapy offices and departments, advertisements, community hospitals, rehab centers, pain centers, campus-wide emails and word of mouth, poster advertisements, senior centers, spinal clinics, and computerized databases

43

30 qualitative, 12 quantitative, and 1 mixed-methods

Non-specific low back pain, with or without leg pain, excluding back pain from fractures, malignancy, infection, and inflammatory spinal disorders.

Relational and functional aspects

Chou, 2018 [20]

Scoping review

Australia

Hospitals, rehab centers, clinics

50

35 qualitative, 14 quantitative, 1 mixed-methods study

Chronic low back pain

Relational aspects

Chou, 2018 [25]

Scoping review

Australia

Not reported

30

16 qualitative, 11 quantitative and 3 mixed-methods studies

Osteoarthritis using American College of Rheumatology criteria in 3 studies, radiographic change and pain in 4 studies, self-report in 6 studies, chart review in 3 studies, clinical diagnosis in 4 studies, and by undefined methods in 8 studies

Relational aspects

Segan, 2018 [26]

Scoping review

Australia

Hospital outpatient rheumatology clinics, nurse-led university hospital clinics, medical centers, the United States of America National Psoriasis Foundation, private rheumatology clinics, patients obtained through internet and email, patients recruited from outpatient rheumatoid arthritis clinics from National Health Service trusts, patients recruited from members of the United Kingdom National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, private practices, patients recruited from arthritis database,

27

16 qualitative, 9 quantitative, 2 mixed-methods

Inflammatory arthritis

Relational and functional aspects

Rothmann, 2018 [39]

Systematic review and meta-synthesis

Denmark and Australia

Not reported

10

Individual interviews consisting of both face-to-face and telephone interviews (n = 9) and focus groups (n = 1).

Osteoporosis & Individuals with at least one risk factor of osteoporosis & t-score ≤ − 2.5 or a fragility fracture & Individuals aged 45 years and above

Relational aspects

Raybould, 2018 [45]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Secondary care populations, primary care, community, or mixed settings.

16

11 single semi-structured interviews and 6 focus groups

Osteoporosis, vertebral fracture, osteopenia.

Relational and functional aspects

Chou, 2018 [52]

Scoping review

Australia

Not reported

44

25 qualitative, 18 quantitative and 1 mixed-methods study

Low back pain

Relational and functional aspects

Rossettini, 2018 [53]

Systematic review and meta-synthesis

Italy and Canada

Rheumatology outpatient clinics, inpatient wards, disease registries or databases, hospital outpatient clinics, private or community rheumatology clinics, inpatient, outpatient, databases

11

Not reported

Individuals experiencing musculoskeletal pain defined as the consequence of everyday

activities that repeatedly or unusually stress the system, or

due to either acute traumatic events or to chronic complaints

Relational and functional aspects

Lim, 2019 [36]

Systematic review

Australia

Primary care practice, tertiary pain clinics, hospital or rehabilitation clinics, specialist spine or osteopathy clinics, general community, research centers, education forum, occupational health clinic

41

33 qualitative, 5 quantitative and 3 used mixed methods

Non-specific low back pain, with or without leg pain, excluding back pain related to fractures, malignancy, infection, and inflammatory back conditions

Relational and functional aspects

Connelly, 2019 [42]

Systematic review

Australia

Hospitals, rehab centers, clinics

29

11 quantitative, 14 qualitative and 4 mixed methods

Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and other types of unspecified inflammatory arthritis

Relational and functional aspects

Asif, 2019 [55]

Scoping review

Canada

Transitions of patients between settings (e.g., transfer of patient from an acute care facility to a nursing home, or rehabilitation to home)

11

Most included studies used a

qualitative design (n = 10), with only one quantitative study

Hip fracture

Functional aspects

Davenport, 2019 [56]

Systematic review

United Kingdom

Outpatient/community and an inpatient stay.

18

10 qualitative design, 1 convergent mixed methods design, 1 interpretive phenomenology, 1 focused ethnographic design, 5 did not state a theoretical approach

Mixed, stroke (n = 3), head and neck cancer (n = 2), mixed rehabilitation (n = 2), various speech pathologies (n = 1), low back or neck pain (n = 7), jaw pain (n = 1), chronic fatigue/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (n = 1) and older adults post hip fracture (n = 1)

Relational aspects