Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review
BackgroundEstimations show that at least one in every 3 people in the world needs rehabilitation at some point in the course of their illness or injury. Access to rehabilitation services is an essential part of the continuum of care and is integral to achieving universal heal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2023-11-01
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| Series: | JMIR Research Protocols |
| Online Access: | https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e48952 |
| _version_ | 1797494693030789120 |
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| author | Michael Oduor Katariina Korniloff Juliette Gasana David K Tumusiime Eeva Aartolahti |
| author_facet | Michael Oduor Katariina Korniloff Juliette Gasana David K Tumusiime Eeva Aartolahti |
| author_sort | Michael Oduor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundEstimations show that at least one in every 3 people in the world needs rehabilitation at some point in the course of their illness or injury. Access to rehabilitation services is an essential part of the continuum of care and is integral to achieving universal health coverage. However, most of the world’s population living in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the sub-Saharan African region, does not have access to adequate rehabilitation services. Wider adoption of digital solutions offers opportunities to support and enhance access to rehabilitation services in sub-Saharan Africa. A region where there is a greater burden and need for these services. There is also little published research about digital rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is an underexamined topic in the region.
ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the current evidence of digital interventions in rehabilitation implemented in any health, social, educational, or community setting in the sub-Saharan Africa region.
MethodsWe will conduct a scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. We will develop search strategies for a selected number of web-based databases, search for peer-reviewed scientific publications until September 2023, and screen the reference lists of relevant articles. We will include research articles if they describe or report the use of digital interventions in the rehabilitation of patients with any health problem or disability in sub-Saharan Africa. For selected articles, we will extract data using a customized data extraction form and use thematic analysis to compare the findings across studies.
ResultsThe preliminary database search in MEDLINE (EBSCO) was completed in May 2023. The research team will conduct a search of relevant articles in the autumn. The results will be synthesized and reported under the key conceptual categories of this review, and we expect the final scoping review to be ready for submission in early 2024.
ConclusionsWe expect to find gaps in the research and a lack of detailed information about digital rehabilitation interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as potential areas for further study. We will identify opportunities to inform the development of digital rehabilitation interventions.
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/48952 |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe4a3bd7ad9f42adbcd467e73a3a9156 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1929-0748 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:38:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Research Protocols |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe4a3bd7ad9f42adbcd467e73a3a91562023-11-23T13:31:07ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Research Protocols1929-07482023-11-0112e4895210.2196/48952Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping ReviewMichael Oduorhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2066-4587Katariina Korniloffhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0753-1483Juliette Gasanahttps://orcid.org/0009-0003-6237-1616David K Tumusiimehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3855-6795Eeva Aartolahtihttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2938-926X BackgroundEstimations show that at least one in every 3 people in the world needs rehabilitation at some point in the course of their illness or injury. Access to rehabilitation services is an essential part of the continuum of care and is integral to achieving universal health coverage. However, most of the world’s population living in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the sub-Saharan African region, does not have access to adequate rehabilitation services. Wider adoption of digital solutions offers opportunities to support and enhance access to rehabilitation services in sub-Saharan Africa. A region where there is a greater burden and need for these services. There is also little published research about digital rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is an underexamined topic in the region. ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the current evidence of digital interventions in rehabilitation implemented in any health, social, educational, or community setting in the sub-Saharan Africa region. MethodsWe will conduct a scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. We will develop search strategies for a selected number of web-based databases, search for peer-reviewed scientific publications until September 2023, and screen the reference lists of relevant articles. We will include research articles if they describe or report the use of digital interventions in the rehabilitation of patients with any health problem or disability in sub-Saharan Africa. For selected articles, we will extract data using a customized data extraction form and use thematic analysis to compare the findings across studies. ResultsThe preliminary database search in MEDLINE (EBSCO) was completed in May 2023. The research team will conduct a search of relevant articles in the autumn. The results will be synthesized and reported under the key conceptual categories of this review, and we expect the final scoping review to be ready for submission in early 2024. ConclusionsWe expect to find gaps in the research and a lack of detailed information about digital rehabilitation interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as potential areas for further study. We will identify opportunities to inform the development of digital rehabilitation interventions. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/48952https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e48952 |
| spellingShingle | Michael Oduor Katariina Korniloff Juliette Gasana David K Tumusiime Eeva Aartolahti Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review JMIR Research Protocols |
| title | Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review |
| title_full | Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review |
| title_fullStr | Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review |
| title_short | Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review |
| title_sort | digital rehabilitation interventions in sub saharan africa protocol for a scoping review |
| url | https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e48952 |
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