Table 1 Literature search strategy

Databases searched

Pubmed, Web of Science (including MEDLINE), CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, ProQuest, HMSS database, Elsevier/Science Direct, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, NICE, OpenGrey, Google Scholar, AHRQ database, CDC database, Clinical Trials.gov, Abstracts of recent international conferences (e.g., International AIDS Society (IAS) et al

Setting

No restriction

Population

MSM OR men who have sex with men OR homosexual OR gay OR bisexual OR same-sex OR queer

Phenomena of interest

condom OR condom use

Methodology

qualitative study OR qualitative research OR qualitative methods OR interview OR mix-methods study OR mix-methods research

Search example in Pubmed

#

Searches

1

bisexuality/or heterosexuality/or homosexuality/or homosexuality, male/or transsexualism/

2

"Sexual and Gender Minorities"/

3

Sexually Transmitted Diseases/pc [Prevention & Control]

4

(bisexual* or homosexual* or "sexual dissent*" or gay* or queer* or "men who have sex with men" or MSM).tw,kf

5

or/1–4

6

Condoms/

7

(condom* or "safe sex" or "unsafe sex").tw,kf

8

6 or 7

9

interviews as topic/ or focus groups/ or narration/ or qualitative research/

10

((semi-structured or semistructured or unstructured or informal or "in-depth" or indepth or "face-to-face" or structured or guide? or group*) adj3 (discussion* or questionnaire*)).tw,kw

11

(Interview* or focus group* or diary or diaries or transcrib* or verbatim or field not* or memo? or memoing).tw,kw

12

((context* or semantic or content) adj2 analys*).tw,kw

13

(narrat* or qualitative* or ethnograph* or fieldwork or field work or field research* or informant* or phenomenolog* or hermeneutic* or grounded or interpretive* or participant observ* or mixed method* or background observ* or reflective* or reflection* or textual* or open-ended or theme? or thematic* or triangulat* or mixed method*).tw,kw

14

or/9–13

15

5 and 8 and 14

16

limit 15 to (Chinese or English)