Table 1 Search strategy

PubMed

(Mentors[mesh] OR mentoring[mesh] OR mentor*[tw]) AND (Nurses[mesh] OR nurs*[tw]) AND (Delivery of Health Care[mesh] OR Healthcare Deliver*[tw] OR Health care deliver*[tw] OR Quality Improvement[mesh] OR Quality Improvement*[tw]))

1499

EMBASE

('mentoring'/exp OR 'mentoring' OR 'mentor'/exp OR 'mentor' OR 'mentor*':ab,ti,kw) AND ('nurse'/exp OR 'nurse' OR 'nurs*':ab,ti,kw) AND ('health care delivery'/exp OR 'health care delivery' OR 'total quality management'/exp OR 'total quality management' OR 'quality improvement*':ab,ti,kw OR 'health care deliver*':ab,ti,kw OR 'healthcare deliver*':ab,ti,kw) AND [abstracts]/lim

984

631

CINAHL Plus

((MM "Nurses+") OR nurs*) AND ((MM "Mentorship") OR mentor*) AND ((MH "Health Care Delivery+") OR healthcare deliver* OR health care deliver*) OR ((MH "Quality Improvement+") OR quality improvement*))

513

326

Web of Science

TS = (mentor*) AND TS = (nurs*) AND TS = (delivery of health care* OR health care deliver* OR healthcare deliver* OR quality improvement*)

111

13

Scopus

(TITLE-ABS-KEY (mentor*) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (nurs*) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (("delivery of health care" OR "healthcare deliver*" OR "health care deliver*" OR "quality improvement*")))

277

30

PsychInfo

((MM "Mentor") OR mentor*) AND ((MM "Nurses" OR MM "Psychiatric Nurses" OR MM "Public Health Service Nurses" OR MM "School Nurses") OR (MM "Nursing") OR nurs*) AND ((DE "Health Care Delivery") OR (DE "Quality of Care") OR delivery of health care* OR healthcare deliver* OR health care deliver* OR quality improvement*)

107

47

2546