Characteristics of the included studies
Study | Country | Study type | Patients’ diagnosis | Method of analysis | Study population | Study settings | Study aims | Study quality |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Qazaz et al27 | Malaysia | Semistructured interviews | Type 2 DM | Content analysis | 12 diabetic patients, with at least 1 year of diabetes and a prescription of oral hypoglycaemic | USM Health Clinic | To explore diabetic patients’ experience and knowledge about diabetes and its medication and to understand the factors contributing to medication adherence in Malaysian population | ** |
Brown et al32 | UK | One-to-one interviews | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 17 African–Caribbean diabetes patients aged above 18 years; 13 first generation immigrants and four second-generation immigrants | Inner city Nottingham | To gain an understanding of how health beliefs influence the way African–Caribbean people with diabetes manage their illness | *** |
Choudhury et al33 | UK | Structured interview | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 14 invited Bangladeshi individuals, (4 males and 10 females), aged between 26 to 67 years, with type 2 DM (had it from six months—27 years) and were recruited either in Swansea or Birmingham. Interviews were made in either English or in Sylheti as the researcher was bilingual | Participants from local communities in Swansea and Birmingham were invited for the interview | To examine the understanding and beliefs of people with diabetes from the Bangladeshi community living in the UK | ** |
Coronado et al38 | USA | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Matrix analysis by Morgan and Krueger | 42 individuals (14 men and 28 women) in six focus groups, who had diabetes, had a family history of diabetes, or knew someone who had diabetes | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's project office in Sunnyside, Yakima Village and Skagit Valley Community College and at the Catholic Church in Burlington | To investigate the perceptions about the causes of and treatments for type 2 DM | * |
Cottrell et al21 | Australia | Structured interview | HF | Repertory grid technique | 92 patients (older than 18 years) with heart failure | Heart Failure Service outpatient clinic, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia | To elicit individuals’ beliefs about their heart failure treatment and to investigate whether generated constructs were different between adherent and non-adherent patients | * |
Gascon et al30 | Spain | Focus groups with open ended questions | HTN | Thematic analysis | Seven focus groups of 44 patients (24 men and 20 women), diagnosed with hypertension, between the ages of 18 and 80 years, being treated with antihypertensives for 3 months, being non-compliant and having sufficiently good physical and mental health to participate | Two primary healthcare centres | To identify factors related to non-compliance with the treatment of patients with hypertension | ** |
Gordon et al7 | UK | Face-to-face interviews | CVD | Thematic analysis | 98 patients (41 males and 57 females) aged between 32–89 years | Home interviews of patients recruited from five general surgeries and pharmacy interviews at four community pharmacies | To examine medication-related problems from the perspective of patients with a chronic condition and to identify how they may be supported in managing their medication | ** |
Grace et al34 | UK | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 17 focus groups of adult diabetic patients | Tower Hamlets, a socioeconomically deprived London borough | To understand lay beliefs and attitudes, religious teachings and professional perceptions in relation to diabetes prevention in the Bangladeshi community | *** |
Heymann et al35 | UK | Focus groups | DM and HTN | Thematic analysis | 10 focus groups of 86 patients (42 males and 44 females) with hypertension in three age ranges: 41–50, 51–60, 61–70 years (six groups); and patients with hypertension and DM in the age ranges: 51–60, 61–70 years (a total of four groups) | UK | To explore beliefs and perceptions regarding hypertension and to gain an understanding of barriers to treatment among patients with and without DM | *** |
Hu et al39 | USA | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Content analysis | Five focus groups of 73 Hispanic immigrants; 18 years or older | Free health clinic in central North Carolina | To explore perceived barriers among Hispanic immigrants with diabetes and their family members | ** |
Jolles et al24 | Canada | Semistructured interviews | HTN | Thematic analysis | 26 patients, aged between 26–85 years and 62% females, able to speak, read and write English; diagnosed with hypertension by a healthcare provider, and currently taking an antihypertensive medication | Two hypertension clinics at the University of Alberta in Edmonton | To understand hypertensive patients’ perspectives regarding blood pressure and hypertension treatment | ** |
Kiawi et al23 | Cameroon | In-depth interviews, semi-structured | Type 2 DM, HTN and stroke | Content analysis | 15 interviews of 62 patients (27 women and five men); selection criteria included: having lived at least six months in the community, being nominated by other community members, and aged above 15 years | Four urban health districts, one from each of the main ecological areas of Cameroon | To investigate the lay knowledge, attitudes and behaviours relating to diabetes and its main risk factors of urban Cameroonians | *** |
Lai et al31 | Taiwan | In-depth interviews | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 22 diabetic patients (12 males and 10 females), aged between 44–80 years, with a duration of illness more than 1 year | Rural Taiwan community | To investigate Chinese diabetic patients’ perceptions about their illness and treatment strategies to facilitate patient-centred, culture-sensitive clinical skills | ** |
Lawton et al36 | UK | In-depth interviews with open-ended approach | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 31 patients (23 Pakistani and eight Indian), aged 18 years and over, and diagnosed with type 2 DM | General practices in Edinburgh | Patients’ perception and practical considerations | ** |
Mohd Ali and Jussoff 200928 | Malaysia | In-depth open-ended interviews | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 18 patients (9 males and 9 females) aged between 15–75 years and 13 healthcare professionals (9 doctors, three pharmacists and one diabetic nurse educator) | Endocrinology clinic of a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur | To explore the perspectives and experiences of Malay patients in managing type 2 DM as a chronic illness and to provide recommendations that aim to enhance adherence to treatment and help patients to improve their self-management skills | *** |
Mshunqane et al29 | South Africa | Patient focus groups (n=10) and healthcare professional focus groups (n=8) and in-depth interviews. The questions were open-ended | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | Patients who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for at least 1 year, and were aged between 30 and 65 years | Dr George Mukhari Hospital outpatients’ diabetes clinic | To determine the knowledge that patients with type 2 DM have about the management of their disease, as well as the perceptions of the healthcare team about the services given to patients | *** |
Peel et al37 | UK | In-depth interviews | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 40 newly diagnosed type 2 DM patients aged between 21–77 years | Across the Lothian region in Scotland | To explore the patients’ emotional reactions about their type 2 DM diagnosis, and their views about information provision at the time of diagnosis | ** |
Peres et al22 | Brazil | Interviews | Type 2 DM | Content analysis | 24 diabetic females, aged between 25 and 76 years old, literate, with eight years of schooling, from Ribeirão Preto, who perform household activities | Nursing Education Center for Adults and Elderly—CEEAI, University of São Paulo | Identify the difficulties patients encounter when controlling diabetes | ** |
Rustveld et al40 | USA | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 34 patients in six focus groups (three in English and three in Spanish), older than 18 years and with type 2 DM | Three HCHD community health centres in Houston, Texas, USA | To elicit attitudes, attributions and self-efficacy related to diabetes self-care in English- as well as Spanish-speaking Hispanic men | ** |
Smith et al26 | Ireland | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | 25 patients from three general practices, having DM for at least 1 year | Patients were invited to participate in the focus group | To explore the views and health beliefs of patients with type 2 DM who had experienced a new structured diabetes shared care service | ** |
Vinter-Repalust et al25 | Croatia | Focus groups | Type 2 DM | Thematic analysis | Seven focus groups of 49 patients (22 males and 27 females), age range 44–83 years, ambulatory patients with the diagnosis of type 2 DM, with differences not only in age and sex, but in the method of treatment of diabetes as well | Zagreb Medical School | To explore type 2 diabetic patients’ attitudes, thoughts and fears connected with their illness; their expectations of the healthcare system; and the problems they encountered while adhering to the therapeutic regimen | *** |
CVD, cardiovascular diseases; DM, diabetes mellitus; HCHD, Harris County Hospital District; HTN, hypertension; USM, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Studies were grouped into low (one star: 0–3 points), medium (two stars: 4–7 points) and high quality (three stars: 8–10 points).