There are now a number of different qualitative synthesis methods including qualitative meta-synthesis, narrative synthesis, thematic synthesis, interpretative synthesis, grounded theory and meta-ethnography.

The range of different methods for synthesising qualitative research has grown in recent years. The guide presented clarifies how the stages and processes involved in conducting a meta-synthesis can be operationalised. Meta-ethnographic synthesis is an important and increasingly used tool in healthcare research, which can be used to inform policy and practice. These are particularly detailed for stages 4–6, as these are often described as being the most challenging to conduct, but with the most limited amount of guidance available. Annotations based on a previous meta-ethnography are provided. We have incorporated adaptations and developments from recent publications. The stages include getting started, deciding what is relevant to the initial interest, reading the studies, determining how the studies are related, translating the studies into one another, synthesising the translations and expressing the synthesis. ResultsĪ practical step-by-step guide for conducting meta-ethnography based on the original seven steps as developed by Noblit & Hare (Meta-ethnography: Synthesizing qualitative studies.,1998) is presented. This paper aimed to outline a step-by-step method for conducting a meta-ethnography with illustrative examples. However, there is currently a lack of clarity and guidance surrounding the data synthesis stages and process. Meta-ethnographies can provide important theoretical and conceptual contributions and generate evidence for healthcare practice and policy. This is a systematic approach which synthesises data from multiple studies to enable new insights into patients’ and healthcare professionals’ experiences and perspectives. One of the most commonly utilised approaches is meta-ethnography. Qualitative synthesis approaches are increasingly used in healthcare research.

Define meta synthesis