Table 1. Critical appraisal of “reviews” (see legend for description of quality assessment criteria).
| Lead Author and Year | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 | Q10 | Q11 | Q12 | Q13 | Q14 | Q15 | Totala |
| Ammenwerth 2008 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| Anderson 1997 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| Balas 2004 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 22 |
| Bennett 2003 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Bryan 2008 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| Charvet-Protat 1998 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Chatellier 1998 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| Chaudhry 2006 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| Clamp 2005 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| Delpierre 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Dexheimer 2008 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Durieux 2008 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| Eslami 2007 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Eslami 2008 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Eslami 2009 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Fitzmaurice 1998 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Garg 2005 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Georgiou 2007 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
| Hayward 2009 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Hender 2000 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Heselmans 2009 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Hider 2002 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| Irani 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Jamal 2009 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Jerant 2000 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Kaushal 2003 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Mador 2009 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Mitchell 2001 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| Montgomery 1998 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Niazkhani 2009 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| Oren 2003 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Pearson 2009 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| Poissant 2005 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
| Randell 2007 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Reckmann 2009 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Rothschild 2004 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Schedlbauer 2009 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Shachak 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Shamliyan 2008 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Shebl 2007 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Shekelle 2006 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| Shekelle 2009 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
| Shiffman 1999 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Shojania 2009 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| Sintchenko 2007 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Smith 2007 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| Tan 2005 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Thompson 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Uslu 2008 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| van Rosse 2009 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
| Wolfstadt 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Wong 2010 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Yourman 2008 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Average scores | 1.49 | 1.47 | 1.3 | 1.09 | 1.19 | 1.28 | 1.45 | 1.19 | 1.43 | 1.21 | 0.7 | 1.32 | 0.87 | 1.08 | 0.91 | 18 |
Maximum total score of 30, each question (or Q) having a maximum of 2 points, refer to Table S1 for the critical appraisal form for additional details.