Discharge Interventions for First Nations People with Injury or Chronic Conditions: A Protocol for a Systematic Review

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 8;19(18):11301. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811301.

Abstract

Severe injury and chronic conditions require long-term management by multidisciplinary teams. Appropriate discharge planning ensures ongoing care to mitigate the long-term impact of injuries and chronic conditions. However, First Nations peoples in Australia face ongoing barriers to aftercare. This systematic review will locate and analyse global evidence of discharge interventions that have been implemented to improve aftercare and enhance health outcomes among First Nations people with an injury or chronic condition. A systematic search will be conducted using five databases, Google, and Google scholar. Global studies published in English will be included. We will analyse aftercare interventions implemented and the health outcomes associated. Two independent reviewers will screen and select studies and then extract and analyse the data. Quality appraisal of the included studies will be conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and the CONSIDER statement. The proposed study will analyse global evidence on discharge interventions that have been implemented for First Nations people with an injury or chronic conditions and their associated health outcomes. Our findings will guide healthcare quality improvement to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have ongoing access to culturally safe aftercare services.

Keywords: aftercare; chronic conditions; discharge plan; first nations; injury; systematic review.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Australia
  • Chronic Disease
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Health Services, Indigenous*
  • Humans
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander*
  • Systematic Reviews as Topic

Grants and funding

The development of this protocol and the subsequent systematic review have received funding from the Commonwealth, represented by the Department of Health (Emerging Priorities-Structured Interdisciplinary Discharge Rounds (GO-3133)-4-EB7PZC8). The sponsor was not involved in any stage of the study protocol development nor in the decision to submit the article for publication.