Table 2 Study purpose, theoretical perspective, and quality evaluation results

1

Noor Abdulhadi et al. (2013), Oman [21]

To explore primary health care providers’ experiences working with patients with type 2 diabetes, and their suggestions and preferences regarding future improvements in diabetes care

Not stated

2

Boström et al. (2012), Sweden [22]

To explore diabetes specialist nurses’ perceptions of their professional role in diabetes care

Not stated

3

Brown, Bain, Broderick and Sully (2013), Australia [23]

To identify patterns and themes in how renal nurses and two other nursing specialists engage with patients’ emotional expressions, express their own emotions, and access and provide support for emotional expenditure

Conservation of resources (COR) theory, (Hobfoll, 1989)

4

Craven, Simons and de Groot (2019), USA [24]

To conduct a qualitative exploration of the emotional experiences of healthcare providers engaged in diabetes medical care and describe and understand the unique features of burn-out, as experienced by diabetes providers

Not stated

5

Crawford (2010), UK [25]

To explore HCPs’ level of awareness around COPD patients’ concerns regarding end of life care

Phenomenology

6

Crowshoe et al. (2018), Canada [26]

To describe Canadian physicians’ perspectives on diabetes care of indigenous patients

Not stated

7

Huber et al. (2011), Switzerland [27]

To explore nurses’ perspectives on diabetes care in nursing homes and home health care services, and to describe the existing level of diabetes care in these setting

Not stated

8

Kim et al. (2016), Korea [28]

To understand the lived experience of nurses who care for people undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Phenomenology; theory of caring (Swanson,1991)

9

Matthews and Trenoweth (2015), UK [29]

To explore nurses’ interpretation of the needs of people with long-term conditions, and their perceptions of subsequent nursing in a renal service

Not stated (self-management?)

10

Pooley, Highfield and Neal (2015), UK [30]

To explore the experience of consultant nephrologists in the long-term doctor–patient relationship

Not stated (phenomenology?)

11

Risør et al. (2013), Norway, Germany, Poland, Wales, Russia, the Netherlands, and China (Hong Kong) [31]

To explore the reasoning of GPs and respiratory physicians when managing patients with COPD exacerbations in clinical encounters

Grounded theory

12

Stuij (2018), the Netherlands [32]

To gain in-depth insight into experiences of health care professionals regarding the delivery of physical activity counseling to patients with type 2 diabetes

Not stated

13

Svenningsson, Hallberg and Gedda (2011), Sweden [33]

To generate a theory grounded in empirical data derived from a deeper understanding of health care professionals’ main concerns when they consult with individuals with both diabetes and obesity and how they handle these concerns

Grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss,1967)

14

Tam-Tham et al. 2016, Canada [34]

To describe barriers, facilitators, and strategies to enhance conservative, non-dialysis CKD care by primary care community physicians working with stage-5 CKD patients

Not stated;

COREQ as reporting framework

15

Tierney et al. (2017), UK [35]

To explore compassionate care from the perspective of HCPs working with type 2 diabetes

Compassionate care; grounded theory; constructivism

16

Tonkin-Crine et al. (2015), UK [36]

To explore GPs’ views on managing patients with advanced CKD and their referral to secondary care.

Not stated

17

Walker, Abel, and Meyer (2012), New-Zealand [37]

To describe and discuss what the majority of New Zealand pre-dialysis nurses believe influences their ability to provide effective patient care

Not stated (descriptive exploratory approach)

18

Wens et al. (2005), Belgium [38]

(1) To elicit problems physicians encounter with type 2 diabetes patients’ adherence to treatment recommendations; (2) to search for solutions (3); to discover escape mechanisms in case of frustration

Not stated

19

Wollny et al. (2018) Germany [39]

To reveal GPs’ attitudes of towards type 2 diabetes patients with poor metabolic control

Not stated

20

Zakrisson and Hägglund (2010), Sweden [40]

To describe asthma/COPD nurses’ experience with educating patients with COPD in primary health care

The concept of enablement; the transtheoretical model (TTM)