Unlicensed assistive personnel's involvement in delivering care to persons with or at risk of delirium: a scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this review is to describe the nature and extent of the literature regarding unlicensed assistive personnel's involvement in delivering care to persons with or at risk of delirium.

Introduction: Initiatives that promote the involvement of unlicensed assistive personnel in providing additional supervision and care to persons with or at risk of delirium have been developed. Because no standardized approach guides unlicensed assistive personnel's involvement with persons with or at risk of delirium, and because inconsistent training and expectations may pose a threat to the safety and quality of care, it is essential to clarify the role of unlicensed assistive personnel in caring for persons with or at risk of delirium.

Inclusion criteria: This review will consider articles published in peer-reviewed journals, dissertations, theses, book chapters, and conference papers. Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies that report on the development, implementation, or evaluation of the role of unlicensed assistive personnel in contexts of delirium will be included. We will consider editorials and opinion papers only if they report on the development, implementation, or evaluation of the role of unlicensed assistive personnel.

Methods: Records published in French or English will be identified via CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, Embase, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Two independent reviewers will select studies and extract data using a piloted form. Data will be synthesized narratively, using descriptive statistics and a tabular format. A consultation phase will include approximately 24 unlicensed assistive personnel and registered nurses who will be invited to comment on the review findings.

Key details of this review project are available in open science framework: https://osf.io/kg9yx/.