| Methodologic characteristics/Journal | AIR n (%) | ProfInf n (%) | L’Infermiere n (%) | Nursing Oggi n (%) | Overall n (%) | |
| Study design | ||||||
| Observational | 139 (85.8%) | 208 (73.5%) | 95 (83.3%) | 47 (75.8%) | 489 (78.7%) | |
| Review | 10 (6.2%) | 55 (19.5%) | 16 (14.0%) | 2 (3.2%) | 83 (13.4%) | |
| Quasi-experimental | 5 (3.1%) | 10 (3.5%) | 1 (0.9%) | 10 (16.1%) | 26 (4.2%) | |
| Experimental | 8 (4.9%) | 10 (3.5%) | 2 (1.8%) | 3 (4.9%) | 23 (3.7%) | |
| Temporal approach (observational studies only) | ||||||
| Cross-sectional | 84 (60.4%) | 159 (76.4%) | 72 (75.8%) | 43 (91.5%) | 358 (73.2%) | |
| Prospective | 27 (19.4%) | 28 (13.5%) | 15 (15.8%) | 3 (6.4%) | 73 (14.9%) | |
| Retrospective | 28 (20.2%) | 21 (10.1%) | 8 (8.4%) | 1 (2.1%) | 58 (11.9%) | |
| Study population | ||||||
| Public health operators | 51 (33.6%) | 105 (46.1%) | 41 (41.8%) | 24 (40.0%) | 221 (41.1%) | |
| Patients | 80 (52.7%) | 63 (27.6%) | 34 (34.7%) | 27 (45.0%) | 204 (37.9%) | |
| Students | 6 (3.9%) | 24 (10.5%) | 6 (6.1%) | 6 (10.0%) | 42 (7.8%) | |
| Other | 6 (3.9%) | 17 (7.5%) | 8 (8.2%) | 0 (0%) | 31 (5.8%) | |
| Documents in use | 6 (3.9%) | 11 (4.8%) | 4 (4.1%) | 2 (3.3%) | 23 (4.3%) | |
| Relatives/caregivers | 3 (2.0%) | 8 (3.5%) | 5 (5.1%) | 1 (1.7%) | 17 (3.1%) | |
| Type of sample | ||||||
| Convenience sample | 90 (59.2%) | 141 (61.8%) | 42 (42.9%) | 37 (61.7%) | 310 (57.6%) | |
| Not described | 16 (10.5%) | 29 (12.8%) | 40 (40.8%) | 14 (23.3%) | 99 (18.4%) | |
| All target population | 31 (20.4%) | 40 (17.5%) | 12 (12.2%) | 5 (8.3%) | 88 (16.4%) | |
| Randomised sample | 15 (9.9%) | 18 (7.9%) | 4 (4.1%) | 4 (6.7%) | 41 (7.6%) | |
| Size of sample/population | ||||||
| 101 ≤ n ≤ 500 | 58 (38.1%) | 89 (39.0%) | 34 (34.7%) | 24 (40.0%) | 205 (38.1%) | |
| 31 ≤ n ≤ 100 | 35 (23.0%) | 66 (28.9%) | 27 (27.5%) | 22 (36.7%) | 150 (27.9%) | |
| n ≤ 30 | 22 (14.5%) | 42 (18.5%) | 15 (15.3%) | 9 (15.0%) | 88 (16.4%) | |
| n > 500 | 36 (23.7%) | 26 (11.4%) | 14 (14.3%) | 5 (8.3%) | 81 (15.0%) | |
| Not described | 1 (0.7%) | 5 (2.2%) | 8 (8.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 14 (2.6%) | |
| Tools used | ||||||
| Self-made | 66 (43.4%) | 106 (46.5%) | 23 (23.5%) | 26 (43.4%) | 221 (41.1%) | |
| Validated | 45 (29.6%) | 65 (28.5%) | 23 (23.5%) | 8 (13.3%) | 141 (26.2%) | |
| Not described | 23 (15.1%) | 31 (13.6%) | 41 (41.8%) | 18 (30.0%) | 113 (21.0%) | |
| Documents in use | 13 (8.5%) | 11 (4.8%) | 2 (2.0%) | 6 (10.0%) | 32 (5.9%) | |
| Undergoing validation | 3 (2.0%) | 5 (2.2%) | 9 (9.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 17 (3.2%) | |
| Mixed validated and self-made | 2 (1.4%) | 10 (4.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (3.3%) | 14 (2.6%) | |
| Data analysis | ||||||
| Descriptive only | 89 (58.5%) | 158 (69.3%) | 64 (65.3%) | 54 (90%) | 365 (67.8%) | |
| Inferential | 63 (41.5%) | 70 (30.7%) | 34 (34.7%) | 6 (10%) | 173 (32.2%) | |