Clinical triage and prioritisation systems for allied health professions in inpatient care: a theory-informed scoping review

This project is a scoping review examining clinical triage and prioritisation systems used to allocate allied health services in inpatient care settings. The review focuses on physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy within acute, subacute, and rehabilitation contexts. It aims to systematically map how prioritisation decisions are structured, which criteria are applied, and under which organisational conditions these systems operate. In addition, the review explores how prioritisation processes are described, including reported consequences and normative considerations such as transparency and justification. By synthesising heterogeneous evidence across study designs, the project seeks to identify knowledge gaps and inform the development of more structured and transparent prioritisation approaches in inpatient allied health care.