Table 1.
Review characteristics
| Review characteristics (N=531) | Count (%) |
| Year of publication | |
| 2012 | 50 (9) |
| 2013 | 79 (15) |
| 2014 | 67 (12.5) |
| 2015 | 111 (21) |
| 2016 | 216 (41) |
| 2017* | 8 (1.5) |
| Cochrane reviews | 125 (24) |
| Included primary studies (all designs) per review, mean (SD) (range) | 23 (37) (0–463) |
| Reviews including randomised controlled trials | 245 (46) |
| Health conditions/ populations | |
| Common chronic diseases (eg, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, chronic kidney failure, asthma, musculoskeletal conditions) |
106 (20) |
| Cancer | 21 (4) |
| Critically or terminally ill | 16 (3) |
| Patients undergoing lifestyle and prevention interventions | 53 (10) |
| Patients undergoing surgical interventions (including preoperative care and safety checklists) | 18 (3) |
| Mental health conditions | 67 (12) |
| Older adults and aged care | 17 (3) |
| Non-communicable diseases (eg, viral hepatitis, HIV, tuberculosis) | 17 (3) |
| Maternal and child health | 38 (7) |
| Outcomes reported | |
| Patient outcomes (health status and/or health behaviours, eg, mortality, morbidity and cure rates) | 492 (93) |
| Quality of care (eg, adherence to recommended practice) | 62 (12) |
| Access and/or use of healthcare services (eg, waiting time to receive care, readmission rates and length of stay in a facility) | 178 (34) |
| Resource use (including healthcare resources, non-healthcare resources, eg, transportation costs, patient and caregiver time) | 161 (30) |
| Impacts on equity | 30 (6) |
| Social outcomes (eg, poverty and unemployment) | 15 (3) |
| Healthcare provider outcomes (eg, well-being, fatigue, stress and satisfaction) | 68 (13) |
| Adverse effects | 93 (18) |
| Reviews incorporating economic evaluation studies | 177 (33) |
*Incomplete.