Table 3.
Characteristics of included studies
| Study characteristic (n = 106) | No. | % | Study characteristic (n = 106) | No. | % | Intervention characteristic (n = 117) | No. | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Type of trial | Source | ||||||
| Australia | 8 | 7.5 | Cluster RCT | 69 | 65.1 | Peer | 6 | 5.1 |
| Canada | 15 | 14.2 | Factorial | 4 | 3.8 | Investigators | 83 | 70.9 |
| Denmark | 4 | 3.8 | Randomised controlled trial | 28 | 26.4 | Supervisor or senior colleague | 2 | 1.7 |
| UK | 13 | 12.3 | Stepped wedge | 4 | 3.8 | Patient | 1 | 0.9 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 5.7 | Matched pairs, cluster RCT | 1 | 0.9 | Credible source | 15 | 12.8 |
| USA | 45 | 42.5 | Low baseline performance?a | Other | 1 | 0.9 | ||
| Other/multiple | 15 | 14.2 | No | 103 | 97.2 | Not reported | 9 | 7.7 |
| Setting | Yes | 2 | 1.9 | Internal/external delivery b | ||||
| Primary (GP/GP practice nurses) | 57 | 53.8 | Unclear | 1 | 0.9 | Internal | 17 | 14.5 |
| Hospital (inpatient and outpatient) | 31 | 29.3 | External | 81 | 69.2 | |||
| Community | 4 | 3.8 | Unclear/not reported | 19 | 16.2 | |||
| Care/nursing home | 4 | 3.8 | Reference group | |||||
| Mixed | 7 | 6.6 | Peer | 97 | 82.9 | |||
| Other | 3 | 2.8 | Intervention characteristic (n = 117) | No. | % | Professional body | 1 | 0.9 |
| Type of HCP | Format | Senior person | 9 | 7.7 | ||||
| Doctor (primary care) | 45 | 42.5 | Face-to-face meeting | 16 | 13.7 | Patient(s) | 1 | 0.9 |
| Doctor (secondary) | 19 | 17.9 | 10 | 8.5 | Multiple | 4 | 3.4 | |
| Other (nurse/dentist/AHP/pharmacist) | 7 | 6.6 | Written (paper) | 29 | 24.8 | Unclear/not reported | 5 | 4.3 |
| Mixture/whole team | 35 | 33.0 | Separate computerised | 10 | 8.5 | Direction of change | ||
| Target behaviour | Mixed | 18 | 15.4 | Increase | 85 | 72.6 | ||
| Prescribing (incl. vaccinations) | 40 | 37.7 | Unclear/not reported | 34 | 29.1 | Decrease | 30 | 25.6 |
| Handwashing/hygiene | 4 | 3.8 | Frequency | Maintenance | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| Tests/assessments | 21 | 19.8 | Only once | 35 | 29.9 | Unclear | 2 | 1.7 |
| Referrals | 3 | 2.8 | Twice | 10 | 8.5 | Comparator | ||
| Management communications | 25 | 23.6 | More than twice | 45 | 38.5 | Alternative intervention | 15 | 12.8 |
| Other | 2 | 1.9 | Unclear/not reported | 27 | 23.1 | Usual practice | 59 | 50.4 |
| Multiple | 11 | 10.4 | Attention or waitlist control | 18 | 15.4 | |||
| Concomitant interventionc | 25 | 21.4 |
aDoes the inclusion criteria target participants based on low target performance?
bThe person delivering the intervention internal or external to the target person’s organisation?
cIntervention that appears in both arms