Table 2.
Summary of findings reported, factors considered and conclusions drawn among those studies reporting higher receipt among younger than older groups (N = 36)
| Unwarranted difference concluded | Unwarranted difference suggested | Warranted difference suggested | No conclusion beyond report of difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contraindications | ||||
| Not mentioned | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Discussed onlya | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Adjusted for | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Patient preference | ||||
| Not mentioned | 11 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Discussed onlya | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Adjusted for | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Effectiveness at older age | ||||
| Not mentioned | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Discussed onlya | 12 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Adjusted for | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethical nature of judgement acknowledged | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total number of papers | 15 | 12 | 1 | 8 |
aSome studies discussed a possible explanatory factor without also performing an associated analysis either because the data were not available and/or because authors did not consider the factor to be justification for differential receipt