Quality appraisal
The CASP (critical appraisal skills programme, 2006) framework
was used and adapted to appraise the quality of
the research. However, relevance to the study rather than
any clinical service or organisation was a minor but necessary
adaptation of the framework. The key questions asked
when reviewing the studies are included in Table 2. The
studies were initially reviewed by one author (LRC). Subsequently
peer scrutiny of study reviews and the overall methodological or quality issues across the body of literature,
took place in regular meetings.