Community-based integrated care for older people living in peripheral contexts: A systematic review of the evidence: PRISMA Protocol Checklist

Introduction: Despite implementation of different community-based integrated care strategies internationally, there remains substantial difficulties in supporting older adults in small-scale peripheral places, where ageing, inequalities and needs are most evident. Peripheries comprise of rural, shrinking small-town and intra-metropolitan areas. These areas embody significant constraints and opportunities, and complicate challenges around implementation dissonance, and digital integration. There is a marked lack of research on the effects of integrated care on service users, including older adults and on the components and strategies which make up integrated care for older people. Furthermore, community-based integrated care strategies which integrate health and social care provision have not been sufficiently evaluated, nor their attributes investigated for peripheries and older people living in these areas. Methods: This systematic review will include empirical research on community-based integrated care interventions for community-dwelling older adults. This will include peer-reviewed and literature by multidisciplinary teams including health and social care professionals and GPs. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, AgeLine and Overton will be searched. Studies will be subject to quality appraisal using appropriate tools selected based on methodology. Conclusion: This review will describe the effectiveness of community-based integrated health and social care strategies and outcomes for older people living in peripheral contexts, as well as challenges encountered in this provision. Prospero registration number: 1378235. Keywords: Integrated care; Primary Care; Older people; Community-based care.