ArticleSystematic reviews2016
Why, when and how to update a meta-ethnography qualitative synthesis.
Article in Systematic reviews, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Decisional Conflicts in Kidney Replacement Therapy for Patients With Grade 5 Chronic Kidney Disease: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Journal of renal care · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the Beliefs, Perceptions, and Experiences of Individuals With Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography of Qualitative Studies.Physical therapy · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of sleep problems in people with fibromyalgia: a multi-methods evidence synthesis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Factors influencing obesogenic behaviours of adolescent girls and women in low- and middle-income countries: A qualitative evidence synthesis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- General practitioner strategies for managing patients with multimorbidity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.BMC family practice · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Improving reporting of meta-ethnography: The eMERGe reporting guidance.Journal of advanced nursing · 2019Pooled it
- A methodological systematic review of meta-ethnography conduct to articulate the complex analytical phases.BMC medical research methodology · 2019Pooled it
- Antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections in primary care: an updated and expanded meta-ethnography.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Understanding patients' experiences of the wish to hasten death: an updated and expanded systematic review and meta-ethnography.BMJ open · 2017Pooled it
- Retention in trials: a qualitative evidence synthesis of studies reporting participant reasons for trial non-completion.BMJ open · 2026Review
- Conducting evidence synthesis and developing evidence-based advice in public health and beyond: A scoping review and map of methods guidance.Research synthesis methods · 2026Article
- Article
- The impact of death and dying on surgeons in a tertiary cancer centre in Singapore.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- The impact of death and caring for the dying and their families on surgeons - an AI assisted systematic scoping review.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Developing evaluation index system for "new medicine" construction in Chinese medical schools-meta-ethnography and Delphi-AHP approach.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Capturing the complexity of veterinarians' antibiotic prescribing practices in the livestock sector: a meta-ethnography across contexts: Veterinarians' antibiotic prescribing in different contexts.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Review
- A systematic scoping review on group non-written reflections in medical education.BMC medical education · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMeta-ethnography is a unique, systematic, qualitative synthesis approach widely used to provide robust evidence on patient and clinician beliefs and experiences and understandings of complex social phenomena. It can make important theoretical and conceptual contributions to health care policy and practice.
resultsSince beliefs, experiences, health care contexts and social phenomena change over time, the continued relevance of the findings from meta-ethnographies cannot be assumed. However, there is little guidance on whether, when and how meta-ethnographies should be updated; Cochrane guidance on updating reviews of intervention effectiveness is unlikely to be fully appropriate. This is the first in-depth discussion on updating a meta-ethnography; it explores why, when and how to update a meta-ethnography. Three main methods of updating the analysis and synthesis are examined. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are outlined, relating to the context, purpose, process and output of the update and the nature of the new data available. Recommendations are made for the appropriate use of each method, and a worked example of updating a meta-ethnography is provided.
conclusionsThis article makes a unique contribution to this evolving area of meta-ethnography methodology.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.