Memory-making interventions for children and their families receiving pediatric palliative or bereavement care: A systematic review protocol

Background In paediatric palliative and bereavement care, providing comprehensive support that extends beyond medical treatment to address the emotional and psychosocial needs of children and their families is essential. Memory-making interventions play a critical role in capturing cherished moments and fostering emotional resilience. However, widespread consensus on the foundation and scope of memory-making interventions in paediatric contexts remains sparse. This review aims to identify, appraise, and synthesise the evidence on memory-making interventions for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their family members receiving palliative or bereavement care. Methods This systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). A systematic search will be undertaken from January 1, 1985, to February 27, 2024, across the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO), Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Studies across diverse research designs that examine children (0-19 years) with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions undergoing memory-making interventions with psychosocial or other outcomes will be included. Screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal will be performed by two independent reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for conducting mixed methods systematic reviews will be used to inform the data analysis and synthesis process. Conclusions This review will provide critical insights into the existing evidence base on memory-making interventions in paediatric palliative and bereavement care, highlighting psychosocial and other impacts, implementation factors, and evidence quality. By identifying best practices and gaps in knowledge, this evidence review may inform future research and intervention design, or adaptation, and contribute to the enhancement of healthcare for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families. Registration This review was registered in PROSPERO, the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024521388; 18/03/2024).