Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Apr 30, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 18, 2025
Home Health Care Providers’ Readiness to Care for Children and Youth With Complex Medical Conditions (CYMCs): A Scoping Review Protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
The advancement of pediatric medicine has improved the life expectancy of CYMCS, many of whom receive care at home. However, recent literature has highlighted that many CYMCs experience prolonged hospital discharges and/or high hospital readmission rates, suggesting possible gaps in the delivery of home care for children.
Objective:
Objective:
This scoping review aims to examine the perspectives of health care providers on their readiness to care for children and youths with medical complexities (CYMCs) at home.
Methods:
This scoping review follows the updated JBI Scoping Review Methodology. Articles will focus on 1) children and youth between ages 0 and 18 years of age receiving home care, 2) studies that examine paid home care providers, and 3) children and youth with at least one chronic medical condition. The following academic databases will be searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The search strategy will also include a grey literature search on Google Scholar and ProQuest database (Conference & Proceedings, Dissertations & Theses). Articles will follow a two-stage screening process through Covidence: 1) title and abstract screening and 2) full-text review. Two reviewers will be involved in each stage of the screening process. Data will be extracted using charting categories developed by the research team. Finally, data will be analyzed using qualitative and quantitative analysis approaches. Ethics approval will not be obtained because data will be sourced from published evidence.
Results:
The review will identify key factors influencing provider readiness to care for CYMCs at home, including training needs, system-level supports, and role-specific challenges. Gaps in pediatric-specific competencies and workforce preparation may also emerge.
Conclusions:
Findings will inform strategies to strengthen home care delivery for CYMCs by highlighting provider needs, guiding workforce development, and supporting policy and system improvements. Clinical Trial: https://osf.io/n4faj
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