Examining competencies, skills, and knowledge required by physiotherapists and occupational therapists working with children with cerebral palsy in community healthcare settings: a scoping review.

Objective: To identify the available evidence on competencies, skills and knowledge needed for physiotherapists and occupational therapists working with children with cerebral palsy (CP) in community healthcare settings. Introduction: Physiotherapists and occupational therapists play a key role in providing care for children with cerebral palsy in community healthcare settings. Previous research in CP care has focussed mainly on intervention outcomes rather than specific skillsets or knowledge required by therapists to provide effective care for these children. Inclusion criteria: Empirical studies will be included if they examine or describe the role of physiotherapists or occupational therapists working with children 0-18 years old who are diagnosed with CP and are being seen in a community healthcare setting. All study designs will be examined along with grey literature. Method: The JBI methodology for scoping reviews will be utilised for this review followed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) screening checklist. A systematic search strategy will be conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and Web of Science Core Collection. Supplementary searching of reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews, targeted searches of grey literature and professional standards will be carried out. Screening of titles and abstracts will be conducted by two reviewers, as will screening of any full texts that meet the inclusion criteria. Any disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer at each stage. Data will be extracted utilising a form designed for this purpose. A descriptive numerical summary and a narrative and thematic analysis will be carried out.