Table 3 Matrix of factors reported by papers to attract care seekers to different provider types: Belief in provider and ability to choose drugs

Belief the provider and/or their treatments can cure the illness (n = 51)

'Their drugs work well'

Nigeria & Ghana & Uganda & Kenya[55], Nigeria [57, 56]

Nigeria[19, 27], Uganda[17, 18], Ghana[29]

Tanzania [34, 67, 44, 68, 69]Uganda[70], Malawi[59, 24] Nigeria [20, 71, 19, 26]Kenya[35], Ghana[72], Uganda[32], Burkina Faso[61], Gabon[73],

Ghana [82, 21]

Tanzania[83, 84],Uganda[11, 17]Nigeria[85, 86]Kenya[35, 63],

Ethiopia [87]Zambia[60], Nigeria [26, 66, 86], Burkina Faso[61], Gabon[73], Malawi[59], Tanzania [88], Uganda [89]

Gambia [90], Nigeria[85, 20, 86]Tanzania [44, 76]Burkina Faso[61], Ghana [21]

Tanzania [68, 67, 91], Uganda[17, 45]

Burkina Faso [92], Ghana [21]

Ethiopia [52]

'Effective for convulsions associated to witchcraft' Zambia[60],

'Treatment is comprehensive' Kenya[14]

'Effective for convulsions' Nigeria [20, 74], Tanzania [75, 76]Ethiopia[77]

'Effective for illnesses with natural or spiritual cause'

Zambia[78], Tanzania [79, 80]Nigeria[74], Ghana [21]

'Effective for illness unusual in presentation' Nigeria [81],

Provider allows the patient to choose what they want (n = 2)

'Can buy any quantity of drugs you want' Nigeria[26]

'Can make a choice on the kind of drug' Nigeria [58]