Table 2

General description of the articles included in the qualitative meta-synthesis

StudyDescription of participantsService explored/assessed topicMethod
(n)PtNGP
McMillan et al 33 Patients with a chronic condition, diverse culture and socioeconomic background from three geographical locations in Queensland (Logan-Beaudesert and Mount Isa), New South Wales (Northern Rivers) and Western Australia (Greater Perth) (n=89)XDisease management and medication management (ie, chronic management service)SSI
Rieck and
Pettigrew34
GPs working in practices in low, medium or high socioeconomic status suburbs across Perth (Western Australia) (n=22)XDisease management (ie, chronic disease management service) and interprofessional collaborationSSI
Barbara and Krass35 Patients who are immigrants of Maltese ethnicity, residing in Australia, with a confirmed diagnosis of T2DM, >50 years of age, able to adequately communicate verbally in English or Maltese, located in Sydney (n=24)XDisease management and medication management (ie, diabetes self-management service)SSI
Bereznicki et al 36 Patients (n=6) and GPs (n=10) previously involved in a community pharmacy-based asthma intervention in TasmaniaXXDisease management (ie, asthma management service)SSI
Cvetkovski et al 17 Patients >18 years of age with a diagnosis of asthma (n=10) and GPs in small rural centres (n=8) from different locations based on the Australian Standard Geographical ClassificationXXDisease management (ie, asthma management service)SSI
Saba et al 67 Patients >18 years of age, English speaking, current smoker, medical diagnosis of asthma and/or any other condition alongside asthma in Sydney Central Business District and South Western suburbs (n=24)XDisease management (ie, smoking cessation service for patients with asthma)SSI
Shoukry et al 45 Patients who had bought/hired/trialled a continuous positive airway pressure machine (or accessories) through their pharmacy in the previous 12 months in the greater Sydney region (n=20)XDisease management (ie, obstructive sleep apnoea services)SSI
Um et al 37 GPs with large expertise in weight management (n=3)XDisease management (ie, weight management service)SSI
Snell and White44 Patients >18 years of age, English speaking, enrolled in a specific weight loss programme for >2 weeks from different urban and regional suburbs in Sydney (n=20)XDisease management (ie, weight management service)SSI
Maher et al 38 Women who have at least one child <5 years old are able to read and speak English from different locations based on Australian Standard Geographical Classification (n=28)XCondition management (ie, maternal nutrition service)SSI
Mey et al 46 Patients living independently, experiencing a mild to moderate mental illness (and carers) in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia (n=74*)XMedication management (ie, service for patients with mental health conditions)FG/SSI
Hattingh et al 39 Patients with a mental health condition (and carers) (n=74*) and healthcare professionals (n=13) located in urban, regional, rural and remote regions in Queensland, New South Wales and Western AustraliaXDisease management (ie, service for patients with mental health conditions)FG/SSI
Clark et al 52 Refugee women (n=38)**†XMedication management (ie, primary healthcare service)FG
O’Connor et al 68 Palliative care nurses working in community-based palliative care, residential aged care adopting a palliative approach or working in a dedicated hospice or palliative care unit in a hospital (n=44) and practising GPs (n=10) in Australian metropolitan and regional areasXXDisease management and medication management (ie, services to community-based palliative care patients)FG/SSI
Carter et al 51 Patients who are English, Mandarin or Arabic speaking, who had received a home medicines review service within the last 6 months or had not received such a service but were eligible for it in metropolitan or rural areas in Australia (n=80)XMedication management (ie, home medicines review)FG
Lee et al 40 Patients living in retirement villages in Victoria who were using prescribed medicines (n=25); GPs (n=9) and nurses (n=1) with experience with home medicines review services and/or providing care to retirement village residents.XXXMedication management (ie, home medicines review)FG/SSI
White and Klinner47 Patients of Chinese or Vietnamese origin who had never received a home medicines review service but were eligible for it in two suburban areas in Sydney (n=17)XMedication management (ie, home medicines review)FG
White et al 18 Patients who had received a home medicines review service in the past 6 months or who had never received such a service but were eligible for it in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia (n=77)XMedication management (ie, home medicines review)FG
Dhillon et al 20 GPs practising in metropolitan medical centres in Perth (n=24)XMedication management (ie, home medicines review)SSI
Swain and Barclay69 Patients taking multiple medications, with a reasonable understanding of English and linked to an Aboriginal Health Service in urban, regional, rural and remote settings in Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria (n=101)XMedication management (ie, service aimed at enhance the quality use of medicines)FG
Du Pasquier and Aslani70 Patients >18 years of age, fluent in English, taking one prescription medication on a daily basis in Sydney (n=22)XMedication management (ie, adherence support service)SSI
Gilmartin et al 19 Nurses who worked at residential aged care facilities and used dose administration aids in Victoria (n=5)XMedication management (ie, dose administration aids service)FG
Bui et al 41 Nurses working in public, opioid substitution therapy clinics in New South Wales (n=9)XDisease management (ie, opioid substitution therapy services)SSI
Van et al 42 GPs practising in private/medical/specialised settings in rural/suburb/city areas in Sydney (n=23)XInterprofessional collaboration in the context of disease management and medication management (ie, professional pharmacy services)SSI
Van et al 48 GPs in metropolitan and rural areas in New South Wales (n=15)†XInterprofessional collaboration in the context of a disease management (ie, diabetes medication assistance service) and medication management (ie, home medicines review service)SSI
Dey et al 50 GPs working in Western Sydney (n=7)†XInterprofessional collaboration in the context of disease management (ie, asthma management services)SSI
Chong et al 53 GPs (n=4) and nurses (n=7) working with mental health consumers in a healthcare setting in New South WalesXXInterprofessional collaboration in the context of disease management (ie, mental health services)SSI
Cheong et al 49 Patients >18 years of age, English speaking, with a diagnosis of asthma in inner-west Sydney metropolitan region (n=16)XInterprofessional collaboration in the context of disease management (ie, asthma management service)SSI
Bajramovic et al 43 Patients >18 years of age, taking at least one medication (n=7) and GPs (n=10) in BrisbaneXXMedication management (ie, concordance based healthcare services)FG/SSI
  • *Total number of patients and carers. Opinions of carers were clearly differentiated in the article and excluded from this review.

  • †No further description of participants was provided in the paper.

  • FG, focus group; GP, general practitioner; N, nurse; Pt, patient; SSI, semistructured interview; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.