Table 1 Major characteristics extracted from reviews published by the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group

Aim

Adapted from review objectives.

Scope – Study design, Participants, Interventions, Comparison arms, Outcomes

Adapted from review selection criteria; the number and type of studies and participant numbers included were also extracted.

Number and types of studies

Number of participants

Analysis

Indicates whether meta-analysis and/or narrative data analysis was performed.

Setting

Country and predominant settings in which included studies were conducted and interventions delivered.

Recipient

Adapted from the Consumers and Communication Review Group scope, which groups reviews via direction of the communication processes (e.g. to the consumer; from the consumer; between provider and consumer; between consumers), so describing both the primary intervention recipient and the major direction of communication processes.

Provider

Who delivered the intervention to the recipient. Also describes important characteristics such as experience or training required to deliver the intervention.

Format

The predominant delivery format(s) of the intervention. May also include important characteristics such as frequency, intensity or delivery to individuals or groups.

Quality

Quality of included studies: summary based on review authors' criteria used to rate included study quality and authors' assessment of included study quality.

Quality of the review: based on AMSTAR; includes the overall quality score and summary of criteria that review methods failed to meet.

Authors' conclusions

Authors' conclusions added as a composite of points raised in the Discussion and Implications (for practice, for research) sections of the Cochrane review.