Scoping Review Protocol Figshare 2022.docx

  

A Scoping Review Protocol 

Title 

Delaying knee flexion following knee arthroplasty surgery: A Scoping Review Protocol

Authors 

Kelly Hollway, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Therapy Department, kelly.hollway@uhcw.nhs.uk

Shea Palmer, Centre for Care Excellence, Coventry University and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, ad6948@coventry.ac.uk 

Abstract

Introduction

The shift in the model of care being delivered for elective knee arthroplasty patients has been towards a shorter length of stay in hospital and more self-guided rehabilitation. Regaining knee flexion in the first few days can be extremely painful and pain can delay discharge as it can make managing at home harder for patients. Therefore, there have been recent studies that have explored whether delaying knee flexion might facilitate earlier discharge without adversely affecting longer-term patient outcomes. There is very little research on this method of rehabilitation and more needs to be understood if it is to be a viable option in the management of patients following knee arthroplasty. 

Aims

The aims of this scoping review are to identify current literature surrounding the content, delivery and effectiveness of delaying flexion exercises following knee arthroplasty and to identify research gaps.

Methods and analysis

This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute updated methodology including the use of the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) reporting guidelines. Allied & Complementary Medicine (AMED), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (Pedro) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) will be searched. Grey Literature searching and hand searching of article reference lists will also be employed. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts followed by a full-text review to assess papers regarding their eligibility. All types of publications that may contain information about the content, delivery and potential effectiveness of the intervention will be included. To give consistency and clarity, the TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) and PAGER (Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice, Research recommendations) frameworks will be used to report the findings.

Key Words

Knee, arthroplasty, flexion, rehabilitation, protocol