Table 2 Characteristics of studies in review
Method summary | |
 Focused ethnography | 25 |
 Thematic analysis | 21 |
 Grounded theory study | 15 |
 Case study | 13 |
 Mixed methods | 13 |
 Institutional ethnography | 12 |
 Critical ethnography | 12 |
 Content analysis | 8 |
 Constant comparison | 7 |
 Discourse analysis | 6 |
 Auto-ethnography | 2 |
 Other | 107 |
Regiona | |
 Middle East | 5 |
 South America | 11 |
 Asia | 15 |
 Africa | 22 |
 Australasia | 33 |
 Europe (excl. UK) | 47 |
 UK | 74 |
 North America | 95 |
Healthcare subject area | |
 Clinical communication | 3 |
 HIV-AIDS | 3 |
 Intensive Care Unit | 7 |
 Medication prescribing and management | 8 |
 Cancer | 10 |
 Paediatrics | 10 |
 Surgery and orthopaedics | 10 |
 Patient safety | 11 |
 Emergency medicine and acute care | 12 |
 Chronic illness | 12 |
 Family doctors, primary care and general practice | 12 |
 Nursing practice | 13 |
 Healthcare technology | 14 |
 Maternity care and reproductive medicine | 15 |
 Quality of care improvement and healthcare reform | 18 |
 Mental health and psychiatry | 19 |
 Dementia, care of the elderly, end of life care, palliative care | 20 |
 No info/other | 86 |