Structure and implementation of school-based nursing programs for children with special health care needs: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to identify how school-based nursing programs that support children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are structured and implemented globally. INTRODUCTION: The number of CSHCN living and participating in the community is increasing due to medical and technological advances. To participate fully in school, CSHCN may require support for a wide range of health conditions. There is minimal research that synthesizes the development and implementation of school-based nursing programs and interventions, particularly in Canada. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Academic and gray literature will be considered for inclusion. Included sources must refer to school-aged children (pre-primary through 12) and discuss a school-based nursing program or intervention that targets medical or health needs. Literature reviews will be excluded from this review; however, their reference lists will be scanned for relevant studies. There are no restrictions on geographical location or date of publication, but only studies published in English will be considered for inclusion. METHODS: This scoping review will be conducted using the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A search strategy has been developed using the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) mnemonic. The search has been developed in MEDLINE (Ovid) and will be translated to Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus, and reported in a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance Framework (RE-AIM) will be used to categorize the range of implementation strategies across included studies. Findings related to determinants (facilitators and barriers) will be organized according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. REVIEW REGISTRATION: OSF https://osf.io/fgbxm/overview.