eHealth interventions for the prevention of pressure injuries: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Background Pressure injuries (PI) are an important quality and safety issue in healthcare, with an annual cost of treating PI in Australia estimated to exceed $A983 million. Electronic health (eHealth) interventions are increasingly being used to assist consumers and services in the prevention and management of PI. Digital health or eHealth involves health services and information delivered or enhanced through the internet and related technologies. This scoping review aims to: identify and map existing eHealth interventions for the prevention of PI; map learnings from these studies related to the non-adoption, abandonment and challenges to the scale-up, spread and sustainability of these devices; and determine gaps in research related to the use of eHealth interventions in the prevention of PI. Method A scoping review will be guided by the methodology outlined by Arksey and O’Malley and the PRISMA-ScR framework. MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane library databases will be systematically searched using a piloted search strategy. Two reviewers will independently screen all titles, abstracts and full text articles. Any conflicts will be resolved by a third author. Consultations with authors holding clinical expertise in PI prevention and wound care will further inform the synthesis and reporting of findings. Findings will be presented in tabular and narrative format. Results This scoping review will assist in the translation of existing clinical practice guidelines into practice. By harnessing the power of technology and data, effective eHealth solutions will facilitate greater client and carer involvement and earlier intervention in PI by supporting clinicians to tailor care to an individual’s needs and preferences and providing the right intervention at the right time.