Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Mar 12, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 12, 2026 - May 7, 2026
Date Accepted: Jul 2, 2026
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Resources to Support Families Navigating Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetes: A Scoping Review and Critical Appraisal Protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
Advances in understanding of type 1 diabetes (T1D) natural history have enabled screening for islet autoantibodies and the detection of pre-symptomatic (early-stage T1D) prior to clinical presentation and the need for insulin replacement therapy. As screening programs expand, increasing numbers of children are being identified with early-stage T1D creating a pressing need for relevant, accessible, evidence-based educational resources. Due to the rapidly changing paradigm of T1D care in such settings, many healthcare professionals currently lack awareness or guidance on which educational resources to recommend to families. To date, no review has systematically identified and evaluated educational resources for families navigating early-stage T1D or healthcare professionals supporting them.
Objective:
This scoping review aims to: (1) systematically identify and evaluate educational resources for early-stage T1D, (2) assess their readability, understandability, quality, and credibility, (3) create an inventory of resources consistent with current care and health literacy guidelines, and (4) identify resource gaps and priorities for future development.
Methods:
A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed and grey literature databases (MEDLINE, Google, professional organizations, advocacy groups, research consortiums, and screening programs) will be conducted to identify English-language resources (factsheets, websites, videos, infographics). Eligible resources will undergo standardised assessment using validated tools for readability, understandability, information quality, and credibility.
Results:
Expected outputs include descriptive summaries and structured appraisal findings across readability, understandability, information quality, and credibility. The review will begin in March 2026, with completion expected by August 2026.
Conclusions:
This paper presents the protocol for the first scoping review to systematically compile and appraise educational resources for early-stage T1D. The findings will offer a clear overview of the current resource landscape, identify gaps, and provide a foundation for future development and co design of fit for purpose materials.
Citation
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.