• Emary PC
• Stuber KJ
• Mbuagbaw L
• Oremus M
• Nolet PS
• Nash JV
• Bauman CA
• Ciraco C
• Couban RJ
• Busse JW

• Affiliation / Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). Division of Graduate Education and Research
• Affiliation / Centre for the Development of Best Practices in Health (Cameroon)
• Affiliation / Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
• Affiliation / D'Youville College. Chiropractic Department
• Affiliation / Maastricht University. CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute
• Affiliation / McMaster University. Department of Anaesthesia
• Affiliation / McMaster University. Department of Family Medicine
• Affiliation / McMaster University. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact
• Affiliation / McMaster University. Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care
• Affiliation / Private Practice
• Affiliation / St. Joseph's Healthcare-Hamilton. Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre. Biostatistics Unit
• Affiliation / Stellenbosch University. Division of Global Health
• Affiliation / University of Waterloo. School of Public Health and Health Systems
• Affiliation(G) / Cameroon / Yaundé
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Cambridge
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Hamilton
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Toronto
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Waterloo
• Affiliation(G) / Netherlands / Maastricht
• Affiliation(G) / South Africa / Stellenbosch
• Affiliation(G) / United States / New York / Buffalo
• Chiropractic Research
• Clinical Protocols
• Open Access Document
• Research / methods
• Research Design / standards
• Research Report / standards
• Review Literature as Topic

Background: Mixed methods designs are increasingly used in health care research to enrich findings. However, little is known about the frequency of use of this methodology in chiropractic research, or the quality of reporting among chiropractic studies using mixed methods.

Objective: To quantify the use and quality of mixed methods in chiropractic research, and explore the association of study characteristics (e.g., authorship, expertise, journal impact factor, country and year of publication) with reporting quality.

Methods: We will conduct a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Index to Chiropractic Literature to identify all chiropractic mixed methods studies published from inception of each database to December 31, 2020. Articles reporting the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods, or mixed qualitative methods, will be included. Pairs of reviewers will perform article screening, data extraction, risk of bias with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and appraisal of reporting quality using the Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) guideline. We will explore the correlation between GRAMMS and MMAT scores, and construct generalized estimating equations to explore factors associated with reporting quality.

Discussion: This will be the first methodological review to examine the reporting quality of published mixed methods studies involving chiropractic research. The results of our review will inform opportunities to improve reporting in chiropractic mixed methods studies. Our results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed publication and presented publicly at conferences and as part of a doctoral thesis.

Author keywords: Study protocol — Mixed methods research —  Reporting quality —  Chiropractic —  Methodological review

Author affiliations: PCE, LM, MO, JWB: Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; PCE, CC: Chiropractic Department, D'Youville College, Buffalo, New York, United States; PCE: Private Practice, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; KJS, PSN: Department of Graduate Education and Research, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; LM: Biostatistics Unit, Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare-Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; LM: Centre for the Development of Best Practices in Health, Yaundé, Cameroon; LM: Division of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;
MO: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; PSN: Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; JVN, JWB: Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada;
CAB: Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; CAB: The Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; RJC, JWB: Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada;
JWB: Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Corresponding author: Peter C Emary—emaryp@mcmaster.ca

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