Table 1. The thematic analysis process and means of establishing rigour and trustworthiness.

Thematic analysis phases	Strategies used to establish rigour and trustworthiness
1. Data familiarisation	Data immersion Triangulated data collected from different sources (the existing model, prior research, and clinical audit) Documented initial thoughts and ideas for coding/themes Raw data stored in well-organised Excel spreadsheets
2. Initial code generation	Research team debriefing and triangulation (during research team meetings) Utilised a coding framework Established an audit trail (research team meeting minutes, code manual) Documented all research team meetings (meeting minutes)
3. Theme identification	Research team triangulation (during research team meetings) Diagrammed to comprehend & visualise theme connections (using the prior model) Documented development and organisation of codes and themes
4. Theme refinement	Research team triangulation (during research team meetings) Themes vetted by research team (during research team meetings) Reviewed raw data to ensure themes reflective & grounded
5. Theme finalisation (defining and renaming)	Research team debriefing and triangulation (during research team meetings) Consensus on themes achieved amongst research team Documented theme modification/organisation and naming (research team meeting minutes, diagrams)
6. Report production	Research team debriefing (during research team meetings) Sufficiently described process of coding and analysis Rich context descriptions (including theme examples in tables) Reported methodological, analytical, and theoretical rationale throughout paper

Note:

Table adapted from Table 1, Nowell et al. (2017).