Table 1 MEDLINE (OVID) search strategy: inception to 2014 (updated in July 2015)

1

General practice

(General practice$ or General practitioner$ or GPs).tw. (40707)

2

(family practice$ or family practitioner$ or family physician$ family medicine$).tw. (4097)

3

(district nurse$ or practice nurse$).tw. (3976)

4

(community NEAR/3 health).tw. (18269)

5

(community NEAR/3 care).tw. (8627)

6

(community NEAR/3 services).tw. (4750)

7

exp Primary Health Care/ (62263)

8

exp Family Practice/ (32389)

9

exp Physicians, Family/ (9205)

10

exp General Practitioners/ (2116)

11

exp General Practice/ (36336)

12

1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 (146870)

13

Carers

(informal NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (1718)

14

(family NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (5332)

15

(spouse$ NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (602)

16

(relative$ NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (829)

17

(parent$ NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (2222)

18

(brother$ NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (5)

19

(sister$ NEAR/5 (care-giver$ or caregiv$ or carer$)).tw. (5)

20

exp Caregivers/ (19868)

21

13 or 14 or 15 or 16 or 17 or 18 or 19 or 20 (23437)

22

Stroke & Dementia

exp Alzheimer Disease/ (53196)

23

exp Lewy Body Disease/ (2092)

24

exp Dementia, Vascular/ or exp Dementia, Multi-Infarct/ or exp Dementia/ or exp Frontotemporal Dementia/ (89101)

25

dement$.tw. (50486)

26

exp Stroke/ (77056)

27

Cerebrovascular Disorders/ (12999)

28

(cva or cerebrovascular or cerebral vascular or stroke$ or brain vasc$).tw. (130119)

29

22 or 23 or 24 or 25 or 26 or 27 or 28 (248841)

30

General practice based interventions for carers of people with stroke or dementia

12 and 21 and 29 (491)

31

limit 30 to (English language and humans) (445)