Occupational therapy scope of practice in the rehabilitation of adults experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms following traumatic brain injury: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the review is to identify, categorize, and examine literature describing occupational therapy scope of practice in the rehabilitation of adults experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). Introduction: PPCS are symptoms experienced by adults a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and include vestibular, neuropsychiatric, visual, and cognitive issues. Enduring PPCS may result in disability, affecting a person’s independence and/or participation in daily activities. Despite growing recognition of the role occupational therapy can offer in TBI rehabilitation, evidence is limited regarding the scope of practice occupational therapists have in the rehabilitation of adults experiencing PPCS. Inclusion criteria: Literature that includes adults (aged 18 to 65 years) experiencing PPCS that describes the occupational therapy scope of practice in concussion programs will be considered for inclusion in this review. Sources reporting on participants aged under 18 years; classified with non-persistent symptoms; receiving care in acute health care settings; non-English publications; or gray literature from civil society or disabled persons organizations or other representative bodies in the field of brain injury will be excluded. Methods: The scoping review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Five electronic databases will be searched for literature between 2013 and the present: MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Two reviewers will independently conduct title and abstract screening of the results and, upon consensus, independently screen full texts to confirm final sources for inclusion. Any disagreements will be resolved by discussion with a third reviewer. Data extraction from included sources will map occupational therapy scope of practice (inclusive of assessments and interventions) against the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning One-Level Classification and be presented in tabular or narrative format. Review Registration: Open Science Framework osf.io/qxgzj