Table 4.

Quotations from participants from primary studies to illustrate each theme.

Analytic themes	Descriptive themes	Quotations from participants in primary study
Influence of telehealth on the disrupted lives of cancer survivors	Convenience: “It didn’t really encroach”	“Because I’m still working, I’m self-employed and I travel all over the country... and it’s difficult sometimes to be at a hospital at a certain time. So that was good.” [30]
		“It was very easy, it was very simple to do and eh, it didn’t really encroach on lifestyle or anything like that at all, just had to remember to do it (laughs), set the ‘pinger’ on the cooker.” [46]
		“I haven’t got a car so I’d have to take two buses you see to go to the hospital. When I get to the hospital I have about an hour and a half wait in the waiting room. And I go see the doctor, 2 min and I'm out again.” [50]
	Independence: “I learned what I could do”	“It is educational in the sense that I have an overall view about the side effect of chemotherapy.” [36]
		“I learned what I could do to make myself feel better” [38]
		“I’m one of those people that likes statistics and numbers and things...and you could see on Tuesday I must have been quite bad...the graph’s right up and then it’s back down to normal today...” [45]
	Burden: “Just one more thing to do”	“We have very limited free time available and found it difficult to finish the lessons within a week.” [33]
		“It really was just one more thing to do. I didn’t feel that good a lot of the time so I really didn’t feel like doing one more thing. But I did it because I had to.” [48]
Personalized care delivered from a distance	Space: “A familiar and relaxing environment”	“It is much more relaxed to know that you don’t have the alien thing of the hospital. You can have it in your home (telephone follow-up). You have it at work. You can have it on your mobile if you want sat in the car.” [30]
	Time: “Time was never an issue”	“I felt that time was never an issue, that whatever I wanted to talk about, it was relevant. The time was given and it was discussed and that was good.” [32]
		“It has also been very nice with a written response. You can read it several times.” [40]
		“Quite happy. I did feel that I perhaps gleaned more information, I didn’t feel rushed or anything. And I’m sure that I sort of gleaned more information from my colorectal nurse than I would have perhaps done in a clinic situation.” [50]
	Human factor: “It feels impersonal”	“If I should share my innermost thoughts, I’d probably like to have some kind of relation with the person I’m writing to. Otherwise, I need to know exactly what I’m asking for.” [39]
		“But there was things I thought – noo, that’s how I feel and that’s what I’ve got but they’re no asking that, so I could’nae put it doon, do you know what I mean.” [46]
remote reassurance-a safety net of health care professionals (HCPs) Connection	Active connection: “I can always get in touch”	“The sessions helped me because there was somebody on the end of the line when you’re having a down day. And I mean if you’re having a down day you can ring them. You know it’s not like you’re alone in the world.” [35]
		“I used to make myself little cards that I carry round with me, one in my handbag, one at home here and one in my filing cabinet at work, so if I ever felt I needed to ring her up I’ve got ... ready access.” [32]
		“It’s really good to just have the opportunity lying there, I do not have to use it, but just knowing that there is a possibility is a security. That I can ask has been an incredible relief.” [40]
	Passive connection: “Somebody to keep an eye on them”	“It was quite positive. It was quite reassuring; you did feel that you were being monitored. You didn’t think if you put in those symptoms that you would slip through the...you know that if you had really worrying symptoms you would have slipped through the system. Somebody would have picked it up.” [46]
		“Well as far as I am concerned yes, because it was very helpful because I had this bad cough and 1 or 2 alerts came up and the nursing staff at the other end were immediately onto it the fact that we were in contact with the hospital very much quicker than we would be if we’d waited and maybe even phoned.” [44]
		“I found it helpful and interesting. It made me feel that my existence had some purpose...I think it is something which ought to be continued. It does make people feel they are being looked after...and somebody is keeping an eye on them.” [45]
		“I felt safe and reassured because the hospital staff followed up with me like a kite in their hand, so that I would not fly away.” [51]
	Slipping through the net: “Missed the connection”	“I have trouble on the phone, I have dreadful trouble with the mobile. Just mainly because of the complications with the hearing.” [35]
		“I got an answer that...made me...made me realize I had not put it (the issue) in the right way, and then I realized that I cannot sort this out, via this communication...with such long intervals.” [40]
		“I did miss the camaraderie that you get from other patients. And, of course, what tends to happen when you go on hospital visits is that you tend to be there at the same time as the other people who had their ops (operations) with you.” [50]