Table 3

Qualitative assessment of qualitative studies

Quality assessment criteria	Rahmner and et al29	Malato and Kim30	Spetz et al33	Culler et al32	Georgiou et al31
Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research?	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Is a qualitative methodology appropriate?	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research?	P	Y	P	Y	Y
Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the research?	P	Y	P	Y	Y
Were the data collected in a way that addressed the research issue?	P	P	Y	Y	Y
Has the relationship between researcher and participants and data collection been adequately considered?	P	P	N	P	P

N, no; P, partially described; Y, yes.