Table 1 Characteristics of the publications and patients included in the analysis
From: Fears and beliefs of people living with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review
|  | All articles (N = 84) | Studies employing only qualitative methodology N = 18 | Studies employing only quantitative methodology N = 58 | Studies with mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methodology N = 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total number of patients | 24,336 | 334 | 23,539 | 463 |
Female sex N a | 18,032 | 201 | 17,577 | 254 |
Age of participants (mean ± SD)a | 54.9 ± 5.0 | 56.4 ± 7.2 | 54.5 ± 4.8 | 56.3 ± 2.1 |
Disease duration in years (mean ± SD) a | 10.7 ± 6.0 | 13.9 ± 7.2 | 10.1 ± 5.9 | 11.2 ± 4.2 |
Method used for assessment of fears and/or beliefs N (%) of articles using the method b | ||||
Individual interviews | 17 (20.2) | 13 (72.2) | NA | 4 (50.0) |
Focus groups | 5 (6.0) | 4 (22.2) | NA | 1 (12.5) |
Individual interviews and focus groups | 1 (1.2) | 1 (5.6) | NA | 0 (0.0) |
Questionnaire | 63 (75.0) | NA | 58 (100.0) | 5(62.5) |