Table 1

Descriptive and methodological characteristics of identified article

AuthorsYearCountryHealthcare environmentNo. of complaints reportedSystem-level interventionSingle or multiple codingNo. of codes usedSource of coding frameComplaint coded by
Schwartz and Overton231987USAEmergency244SuggestedSingle12NRSecretarial staff
Chande et al241991USAHospital176SuggestedSingle11NRHealthcare staff
Owen251991UKPrimary care1000NR*Single13NRAuthor(s)
Burstein and Fleisher261991USAHospital67SuggestedMultiple4NRUnit manager
Hunt and Glucksman271991UKEmergency122SuggestedMultiple11NRAuthor(s)
Donaldson and Cavanagh281992UKHospital71SuggestedMultiple6NRHealthcare staff
Kadzombe and Coals291992UKEmergency66NRMultiple8NRUnit manager
Hanson et al301994AustraliaChild A&E71SuggestedSingle5NRParents
Allsop311994UKSurgery110NRMultiple6LiteratureAuthor(s)
Bark et al71994UKHospital491SuggestedMultiple9LiteratureAuthor(s)
Lloyd-Bostock and Mulcahy101994UKHospital399ImplementedMultiple36DevelopedAuthor(s)
Nettleton and Harding321994UKMultiple107NRMultiple43NRAuthor(s)
Curka et al331995USAEmergency371SuggestedSingle8NRUnit manager
Webb341995UKHospital188SuggestedSingle18NRHealthcare staff
Ingram and Roy351995UKPsychiatric47NRMultiple10NRAuthor(s)
Mulholland and Dawson361998NZMultiple146SuggestedSingle5NRAuthor(s)
Mace371998USAHospital28ImplementedSingle5NRHealthcare staff
Lim et al381998SingaporeClinics226NRMultiple38NRComplaint staff
Daniel et al391999AustraliaMultiple290NRSingle12NRComplaint staff
Pichert et al401999USAHospital6419ImplementedMultiple15DevelopedComplaint staff
Allen et al412000USAHospital3984ImplementedSingle5DevelopedPatients
Halperin422000USAMultiple29NRSingle5NRComplaint staff
Anderson et al432000AustraliaHospital127NRMultiple17NRPatient advisor
Pitarka-Carcani et al442000UKPsychiatric100ImplementedMultiple23NRNR
Anderson et al452001AustraliaHospital1308NRMultiple8NRPatient advisor
Powers and Bendall-Lyon462002USAHospital211NRSingle5LiteratureComplaint staff
Taylor et al472002AustraliaEmergency2419SuggestedMultiple43NRComplaint staff
Colwell et al482003USAEmergency286SuggestedSingle10NRUnit manager
Choy et al492004Hong KongHospital241SuggestedMultiple4NRNR
Taylor et al502004AustraliaHospital19 156SuggestedMultiple7NRComplaint staff
Wofford et al512004USAHospital222SuggestedMultiple7DevelopedAuthor(s)
Stelfox et al522005USAHospital483NRSingle2NRNR
Friele and Sluijs532006NetherlandsHospital424NRMultiple4LiteraturePatients
Chavan et al542007UKEye infirmary94ImplementedSingle6NRComplaint staff
Cowan and Wilson552007UKSurgery526SuggestedSingle6NRHealthcare staff
Kline et al562007CanadaHospital586SuggestedSingle11NRComplaint staff
Saravanan et al572007UKHospital100SuggestedSingle6NRNR
Siyambalapitiya et al582007UKHospital183SuggestedSingle6NRComplaint staff
Natangelo592007ItalyHospital151SuggestedMultiple6LiteratureHealthcare staff
Wong et al602007SingaporeEmergency175SuggestedMultiple16NRAuthor(s)
Haw et al612008UKPsychiatric392ImplementedSingle15NRComplaint staff
Friele et al622008NetherlandsHospital279SuggestedMultiple5LiteraturePatients
Montini et al632008USAHospital1216ImplementedMultiple22DevelopedAuthor(s)
Giugliani et al642009FranceHospital164NRSingle6NRHealthcare staff
Parry and Hewage652009AustraliaHospital101SuggestedSingle4NRComplaint staff
Jangland et al132009SwedenHospital105ImplementedMultiple14LiteratureAuthor(s)
Levtzion-Korach et al32010USAHospital4722SuggestedMultiple8LiteratureAuthor(s)
Moghadam et al662010IranCardiac1642ImplementedSingle10DevelopedComplaint staff
Stimson et al672010USAHospital1516SuggestedSingle5LiteratureComplaint staff
Hsieh682010TaiwanHospital59SuggestedMultiple8LiteratureSocial worker
McGregor et al69§2011CanadaNursing home629NRSingle28NRComplaint staff
Gogos et al70§2011AustraliaMultiple481NRMultiple5LiteratureHealthcare staff
Hsieh82012TaiwanHospital665SuggestedSingle38NRSocial worker
Källberg et al712012SwedenEmergency1778SuggestedSingle10DevelopedAuthor(s)
Sachdeo et al722012USADental clinic214SuggestedSingle5NRAuthor(s)
Schnitzer et al732012GermanyMultiple13 505NRSingle4NRAuthor(s)
Mann et al742012UKSurgery113SuggestedMultiple15LiteratureHealthcare staff
van Mook et al752012NetherlandsMultiple137SuggestedMultiple29LiteratureAuthor(s)
Bismark et al762013AustraliaMultiple18 907SuggestedMultiple20LiteratureAuthor(s)
  • *NR, not retrievable.

  • †Discrepancy between the total number of complaints reported and the tally of the individual complaints we managed to extract.

  • ‡Imperfect data extraction due to the study reporting rounded percentages.

  • §Study analyses a subset of ‘substantiated’ complaints.

  • A&E, Accident and Emergency.