Reviews of theoretical frameworks: Challenges and judging the quality of theory application.

Background: Rigorous reviews of available information, from a range of resources, are required to support medical and health educators in their decision making.

Aim: The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of a review of theoretical frameworks specifically as a supplement to reviews that focus on a synthesis of the empirical evidence alone. Establishing a shared understanding of theory as a concept is highlighted as a challenge and some practical strategies to achieving this are presented.