Evidence synthesis methodology for questions relating to barriers and enablers in health care: a scoping review protocol.

Abstract

The objective of the scoping review is to map the range of methodologies used to undertake evidence synthesis aimed at determining barriers and enablers in health care. The number of evidence synthesis studies focusing on identifying factors that support/facilitate (act as "enablers") or impede (act as "barriers") implementation of best practice in health care has significantly increased as researchers and clinicians strive to understand the evidence-practice gap. There is currently no consensus on the evidence synthesis approach for such topics, with the methods for analyzing or synthesizing results from barrier and enabler studies varying across existing evidence reviews. This scoping review will consider various evidence synthesis approaches that identify barriers and enablers in health care. The review will only consider evidence synthesis approaches that describe their methods (e.g. systematic reviews or scoping reviews rather than literature reviews). Barriers and enablers could be at different levels of the health system, including consumers of care, health practitioners, health organization, policy makers, and the community. The scoping review will focus on the methodological aspects or processes related to the review of primary studies on barriers and/or enablers. The proposed scoping review will be conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Studies will be searched in PubMed (NLM), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, JBI Evidence Synthesis, and EPPI-Centre Systematic Reviews. Data extraction will be undertaken using a purpose-built data extraction form. A narrative summary will accompany the tabulated data/figures, with a view to proposing recommendations related to the methodology for undertaking evidence synthesis of barrier and enabler studies.