Table 1 Electronic search strategy (PubMed)

#1

(medic*) AND revalidation Filters: English

(medic[All Fields] OR medic*[All Fields] AND revalidation[All Fields] AND English[lang]

#2

(maintenance) AND “medical licensure” Filters: English

(“maintenance”[MeSH Terms] OR “maintenance”[All Fields]) AND “medical licensure”[All Fields] AND English[lang]

#3

“maintenance of certification” Filters: English

“maintenance of certification”[All Fields] AND English[lang]

#4

“medical registration” Filters: English

“medical registration”[All Fields] AND English[lang]

#5

(maintenance) AND “professional competence” Filters: English

(“maintenance”[MeSH Terms] OR “maintenance”[All Fields]) AND “professional competence”[All Fields] AND English[lang]

#6

(doctor) AND appraisal Filters: English

(“physicians”[MeSH Terms] OR “physicians”[All Fields] OR “doctor”[All Fields]) AND appraisal[All Fields] AND English[lang]