Table 3. Summary of included study characteristics.
| Characteristics | All unique studies | Studies included MH-related indicators | Studies MH-related potential PSIs were selected from |
|---|---|---|---|
| (79 studies) | (70 studies) | (59studies) | |
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |
| Continent | |||
| Europe | 42 (53.2%) | 35 (50.0%) | 27 (47.5%) |
| North America | 24 (30.4%) | 24 (34.3%) | 22 (37.3%) |
| Asia | 6 (67.7%) | 5 (7.1%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| International | 3 (3.8%) | 2 (2.9%) | 2 (3.4%) |
| Australia | 3 (3.8%) | 3 (4.3%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| South America | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Publication Year | |||
| 1990–1999 | 3 (3.8%) | 2 (2.9%) | 2 (3.4%) |
| 2000–2009 | 26 (32.9%) | 23 (32.9%) | 18 (30.5%) |
| 2010–2019 | 47 (63.3%) | 45 (64.3%) | 39 (66.1%) |
| Targeted population | |||
| Elderly | 40 (50.6%) | 38 (54.3%) | 31 (52.5%) |
| Not specified | 20 (25.3%) | 17 (24.3%) | 15 (25.4%) |
| Adults | 5 (6.3%) | 5 (7.1%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| Paediatric | 4 (5.1%) | 2 (2.9%) | 2 (3.4%) |
| CKD | 2 (2.5%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| All ages | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Middle aged | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Psychiatric | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Adults with bipolar disorder | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Severe dementia | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Elderly with Limited life expectancy | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | - |
| Palliative with advanced dementia | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | - |
| Complex elderly | 1 (1.3%) | - | - |
| Targeted setting | |||
| Community | 26 (32.9%) | 22 (31.4%) | 19 (32.2%) |
| Not specified | 17 (21.5%) | 17 (24.3%) | 16 (27.1%) |
| Hospitals | 11 (13.9%) | 9 (12.9%) | 8 (13.6%) |
| Multiple settings | 11 (13.9%) | 9 (12.9%) | 6 (10.2%) |
| Long-term care | 9 (11.4%) | 8 (11.4%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| Pharmacies | 5 (6.3%) | 5 (7.1%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| Methods to identify indicatorsa | Reported 75 (94.9%) | Reported 66 (94.3%) | Reported 56 (94.9%) |
| Literature review | 41 (51.9%) | 36 (51.4%) | 33 (55.9%) |
| Experience | 16 (20.3%) | 16 (22.9%) | 13 (22.0%) |
| Multiple selected tools b | 16 (20.3%) | 14 (20.0%) | 11 (18.6%) |
| Guidelines | 12 (15.2%) | 9 (12.9%) | 8 (13.6%) |
| Single selected tool c | 9 (11.4%) | 7 (10.0%) | 6 (10.2%) |
| Textbooks d | 7 (8.9%) | 6 (8.6%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| Older versions | 7 (8.9%) | 6 (8.6%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| FDA black box warnings | 3 (3.8%) | 3 (4.3%) | 3 (5.1%) |
| DDI references | 3 (3.8%) | 3 (4.3%) | 3 (5.1%) |
| medication databases | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| preliminary list | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | - |
| Safety incidents | 1 (1.3%) | - | - |
| Validation method | Reported 72 (91.1%) | Reported 65 (92.9%) | Reported 55 (93.2%) |
| Delphi | 38 (48.1%) | 34 (48.6%) | 29 (49.2%) |
| NS consensus | 12 (15.2%) | 11 (15.7%) | 10 (16.9%) |
| RAM | 10 (12.7%) | 9 (12.9%) | 8 (13.6%) |
| Expert panel | 8 (10.1%) | 7 (10.0%) | 5 (8.5%) |
| NGT | 2 (2.6%) | 2 (2.9%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Consensus among research group | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Delphi and NGT | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| Type of prescribing indicators | |||
| Process | 75 (94.9%) | 67 (95.7%) | 56 (94.9%) |
| Outcome | 4 (5.1%) | 3 (4.3%) | 3 (5.1%) |
| Number of indicators | 4507 reported indicators |
1386 MH related indicators (1106 after removing duplicates and splitting indicators) |
245 MH related PSIs e |
| Average (SD) | 57 (SD = 59.8) | 20 (SD = 25.1) | - |
| Range | 6–282 | 1–127 | - |
CKD: Chronic kidney disease. DDI: Drug-drug interactions. FDA: Food and Drug Administration. MH: Mental health. NGT: nominal group technique. NS: not specified. PSIs: Prescribing safety indicators. RAM: RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. SD: Standard deviation
a. The total percentage exceed 100% because most studies used more than one method.
b. These studies selected multiple previously published tools.
c. These studies selected one specific tool
d. These studies used selected textbooks.
e. The average, SD and range were not calculated for the potential PSIs because they were selected after removing duplicates and splitting indicators.