Table 1 Recommendations for future discussion tools on movement behaviours, based on evidence from primary studies included in the present review

1. Tools should, at a minimum, guide assessment and prescription, and if time allows, include counselling and referral for movement behaviours

Some providers may be more familiar with the act of assessing or prescribing [20] whereas counselling typically requires more time and training [52, 53]. Referral is the natural conclusion of a clinical encounter [54,55,56]

[52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64]

2. Tools should be quick to administer, ideally in three minutes or less

Time is a frequently reported barrier to providers’ facilitation of movement behaviour discussions [23, 53] and effective discussions are possible within 2–5 min [59, 65]

[26, 56, 59, 66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74]

3. Paper-based and electronic tool formats should be prioritized in the initial stages of tool development, with integration into the EMR being a more distal goal

Paper and electronic formats can be used electronically or as handouts [75], are seen as convenient [76], and can be developed at little to no cost compared to EMR integration, which can be more cost-dependent [77]

[54, 76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83]

4. Tools should be aesthetically appealing and have visual representations of concepts (e.g., graphs or progress bars)

Having numerical and graphical information and illustrations can enhance navigation, understandability, and usability [84,85,86]

[76, 79, 84, 86,87,88,89,90,91,92]

5. Tools should include generic statements and recommendations on movement behaviours that can broadly apply to multiple populations of individuals accessing care

Generic statements and recommendations can enhance efficacy when promoting movement behaviours among adult populations [93, 94]. E.g., “move more”, “reduce sedentary time”, and “focus on sleep hygiene”

[14, 28, 56, 95]

6. Tools should be informed by one or more theories, models, and/or frameworks in addition to public health guidelines

Tools informed by theories/models/frameworks and public health guidelines were more likely to be associated with greater implementation success than those not informed by theories/models/frameworks or a public health guideline

[59, 68, 69, 71, 72, 78, 85, 89, 90, 96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103]

7. Tool implementation should be supported by accompanying training and resources

Provider training can increase the likelihood they will counsel on and prescribe movement behaviours [104] and individuals accessing care have reported that take-home printouts are helpful [82]

[14, 28, 82, 101, 104,105,106]