Use of antipsychotics in adult palliative care: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION

Antipsychotics are commonly used in adult palliative care practice due to their multiple therapeutic indications. However, the available evidence regarding their use, effectiveness and safety in this context remains heterogeneous, and no comprehensive overview of their use across all palliative indications currently exists. A scoping review is therefore warranted to provide an overall picture of current practices in palliative care. This review aims to synthesise and map the existing evidence regarding the use of antipsychotics in adult palliative care.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review will include studies involving adult human populations (≥18 years) receiving antipsychotics in a palliative care context. All generations of antipsychotics and all palliative indications will be considered. Experimental, observational, qualitative studies, expert recommendations and relevant grey literature published in English or French will be included. The scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Searches will be performed in PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Cairn.info and Google Scholar. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts and full texts and extract data using a standardised form. Results will be synthesised descriptively and presented in tables and narrative form.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not require ethical approval as it is based on published literature only. The results will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentations at scientific conferences.