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Table 1 Study inclusion and exclusion criteria

From: Living with complexity; marshalling resources: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis of lived experience of mental and physical multimorbidity

Inclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria

Peer reviewed journal articles or conference papers about primary research, published in English.

Unpublished papers, dissertations, book chapters.

Used a qualitative design, defined as those studies that collect data using specific qualitative techniques such as unstructured interviews, semi-structured interviews or focus groups, either as a stand-alone methodology or as discrete part of a larger mixed-method study, and analysed qualitatively.

Studies that collected data using qualitative methods but then analysed these data using quantitative methods.

Participants with physical and/or mental multimorbidity, defined as “the co-existence of two or more chronic conditions, where one is not necessarily more central than the others” (ref Valderas).

Studies that included participants with <2 long term conditions; had a diagnosis of severe mental health problems (e.g. psychosis), substance/alcohol abuse (i.e. dual diagnosis), cancer, terminal illness, or in receipt of palliative care.

Studies that reported patients’ experiences of living with multimorbidity and/or self management of multimorbidity.

Studies that reported health care professionals' experiences of addressing multimorbidity; described patients experiences of specialist care services (e.g. cancer services); described patients’ experiences of interventions designed to support self-management.