Table 2.
Descriptive summary of included studies.
| Variable | Total—n (%) |
|---|---|
| Study characteristics | |
| Geographical location * | |
| - North America | 21 (48%) |
| - Europe | 17 (35%) |
| - Australia | 5 (10%) |
| - Asia | 1 (2%) |
| - Africa | 1 (2%) |
| Setting | |
| - Community | 19 (43%) |
| - Outpatient (specialized) | 17 (39%) |
| - General practice | 6 (14%) |
| - Mixed | 2 (5%) |
| Design | |
| - Quantitative | 30 (68%) |
| - Qualitative | 13 (30%) |
| - Mixed methods | 1 (2%) |
| Data collection methods * | |
| - Questionnaire/survey | 22 (50%) |
| - Interview | 13 (30%) |
| - Semi-structured interview | 5 (11%) |
| - Focus group | 5 (11%) |
| Sample size—Total (range) † | 49,371 (9–29,171) |
| - Observational | |
| ○ Quantitative † | 48,817 (32–29,171) |
| ○ Qualitative | 440 (9–179) |
| ○ Mixed methods | 114 (59) |
| Patients’ characteristics | |
| Type of condition * | |
| - Studies describing patients with multimorbidity | 12 (27%) |
| - Studies describing patients with a chronic condition associated with multimorbidity | |
| ○ Cancer | 2 (5%) |
| ○ Cardiovascular disease | 1 (2%) |
| ○ Chronic kidney disease | 2 (5%) |
| ○ Diabetes | 5 (11%) |
| ○ HIV | 4 (9%) |
| ○ Hypertension | 1 (2%) |
| ○ Mental health conditions | 19 (43%) |
| ○ Musculoskeletal disorders | 4 (9%) |
| ○ Neurological disorders | 2 (5%) |
| ○ Respiratory diseases | 1 (2%) |
| Age (range) | 32–60 |
| - Early middle age (30–44) | 13 (30) |
| - Late middle age (45–65) | 30 (68) |
| Sex (% female) | 28,477 (58%) |