Summary of three systematic reviews on seeking help for MAs conducted by Richardson et al
| Review3 | Focus | Type of data | Conceptual synthesis | Data synthesis | Quality of primary studies |
| Interviews (review 1, 20 studies) | Service-users’ attitudes towards and experiences of seeking help for MAs, as specified by Pillay et al.19 | Qualitative | TDF | Framework synthesis using the TDF8; followed by Content analysis20 within each TDF domain. | 16 low risk (although the data were mainly descriptive); 4 medium risk. |
| Surveys (review 2, 13 studies) | Quantitative | TDF | Framework synthesis using the TDF, followed by Content analysis20 within each TDF domain. Data were then pooled, where possible, to calculate weighted mean percentages (otherwise data from single surveys were reported). | 4 medium risk; 9 high risk. | |
| Evaluations (review 3, 21 studies)* | The effectiveness of interventions/services to promote self-care for MAs, as specified by Pillay et al.19 | Quantitative | These evaluations were categorised into intervention, service and outcome types. | Narrative synthesis in terms of intervention and outcome (health-service use at GP and A&E, or symptom reduction | 14 studies high risk; 7 low risk. |
*Only controlled studies and interventions that directly targeted the service-user were included here. There were 26 studies in the original synthesis.
A&E, accident and emergency; GP, general practitioner; MAs, minor ailments; TDF, Theoretical Domains Framework.