Table 1 Seven stages of meta-ethnography with related tasks

Phase 1: Getting started

Formulating a research question, a search strategy and inclusion criteria. Deciding on an approach to quality appraisal.

Phase 2: Deciding what is relevant

Phase 3: Reading the studies

Data extraction – reading and rereading studies, establishing a coding framework.

Using quality appraisal to decide on the weight given to individual studies or papers.

Data analysis—coding, identifying themes, sub-themes, and relationships.

Phase 4: Determining how the studies are related

Phase 5: Translating the studies into each other

Phase 6: Synthesising the translations

Phase 7: Expressing the synthesis

Reporting the process and findings of the synthesis.