Critical Realism in Symptom Science - A Scoping Review

There has been an increasing interest in research positioned within critical realism (CR). This analysis aimed to determine how CR has been applied in symptom science through a scoping review of the literature. Fifty-two articles were identified through searches in seven databases and search engines, and grey literature. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed using Excel and ATLAS.ti 8.0. Review findings indicate that CR has been used to examine two key aspects of symptoms - symptom experiences and symptom interventions. The details of how CR was operationalized are presented. This first scoping review highlights how a critical realist lens would help examine individual and contextual factors that influence symptom experiences, response to interventions, and outcomes.