Table 1.

Characteristics of included studies

Study	Country	Methodology	Type of study	Technique	Phenomenon of interest	Participants	Analysis
Tolhurst [16] 2005	Australia	Qualitative: phenomenology*	Descriptive*	Focus groups	Factors influencing career interests of medical students.	81 first and final year medical students. (36 male, 46 female). Three universities	Interpretative. Thematic analysis.
Saigal [17] 2007	Japan	Qualitative: phenomenology*	Descriptive*	Semi-structured interviews (students), informal interviews (academic faculty). Field notes.	Factors influencing medical specialty preference in Japan. Understanding of family medicine, primary care and subspecialty practice.	25 medical students or 3rd to 6th year. (17 male, 8 female). One university	Interpretative. Thematic analysis.*
Scott [18] 2007	Canada	Qualitative: phenomenology.	Descriptive	Focus groups Individual interviews	Factors influencing medical students regarding a career in family medicine.	33 medical students: end of preclinical years and end of the clinical years. (6 male, 27 female). Three universities	Interpretative. Thematic analysis.
Thistlethwaite [19] 2008	Australia	Qualitative: phenomenology	Exploratory-interpretative	Semi-structured phone interviews	Factors that influence students and junior doctors to choose or reject a career in general practice.	13 medical students (3 male, 10 female), 5 junior doctors, 5 general practice registrars, 15 general physicians. One university.	Interpretative. Thematic analysis.
López-Roig [20] 2010	Spain	Qualitative: case based research. Phenomenology	Interpretative	Focus groups Documental analysis	Explore the reputation of and professional identification processes with family medicine practice among students.	48 students: 27 2nd year medical students, 21 6th year medical students. One university	Interpretative. Discursive thematic analysis.*
Hogg [21] 2008	United Kingdom	Mixed: qualitative interactionist and quantitative.	Exploratory, descriptive and interpretative	Focus groups Questionnaires	Factors influencing medical students regarding a career in general practice.	30 final year medical students after a general practice module: 15 took part in the focus groups.	Interpretative. Framework analysis.
Edgcumbe [22] 2008	United Kingdom	Qualitative: framework system	Exploratory	Semi-structured interviews. Nominal groups	Views about general practice as a potential career and factors shaping them.	27 final year medical students (7 male, 8 female). 15 interviewed and 12 formed the nominal group.	Interpretative. Framework system.
Chirk-Jenn 2005 [23]	Malaysia	Qualitative: interpretative description.	Exploratory	Focus groups	Perceptions of medical students towards primary care and factors that influence them.	33 final year medical students (21 male, 12 female). Two universities.	Thematic analysis.
Firth 2007 [24]	United Kingdom	Qualitative: phenomenology	Exploratory	Semi-structured interviews	Views of undergraduate students on their experiences of learning in primary care in a curriculum with a strong community base.	11 medical students from 3rd to 5th course (6 male, 5 female)	Interpretative. Thematic analysis. Grounded Theory.
Mutha 1997 [25]	USA	Qualitative: phenomenology	Descriptive	Focus groups, two individual interviews, surveys.	To identify beliefs and values that influence career decisions of medical students.	52 medical students from 4th to 5th course (25 male, 27 female). Three medical schools.	Content and thematic analysis.

*Unclear, not explicitly reported.