Developing a typology of models of palliative care delivery in prisons in high-income countries: protocol for a scoping review with narrative synthesis

Abstract

IntroductionA combination of punitive sentencing practices within ageing populations, compounded by the health challenges faced by people in prison, means that dedicated palliative care provision within prisons is a pressing requirement. However, evidence about exactly how quality palliative and end-of-life care is delivered in this environment remains sparse.This review aims to develop a typology of models of palliative and end-of-life care delivery within prisons in high-income countries to inform service development and policy.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a scoping review of published studies and grey literature, following the Arksey and O’Malley framework. We will report data on models of palliative and end-of-life care delivery in prisons in high-income countries. Searches will be undertaken in Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Social Sciences Citation Index and PsyINFO for all study types, published from 1 January 2000 to December 2021, and reference lists from key reviews and studies will be screened for additional references. We will also screen grey literature from within other high-income countries using a targeted search strategy. For published reports of original research, study quality and risk of bias will be assessed independently by two reviewers using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis of the data will be undertaken, integrating the results of the quality assessment.Ethics and disseminationApproval by research ethics committee is not required since the review only includes published and publicly accessible data. We will publish our findings in a peer-reviewed journal as per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidance.Protocol registrationThe final protocol was registered with the Research Registry on 26 November 2021 (www.researchregistry.com).Unique ID number: reviewregistry1260.