COVID-19 challenges and changes for home care agencies and providers: a scoping review protocol

Objective: This scoping review will explore the challenges experienced by home care agencies and home care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes made to overcome these challenges. Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to home care agencies and providers worldwide. In response, home care agencies and providers were forced to make changes to the way they operate in order to continue providing quality care to homebound patients. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will consider studies that explore the challenges experienced by home care agencies and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes implemented, or strategies, used to overcome the identified challenges. All geographic locations will be considered for inclusion. Methods: This review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Key information sources will include MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Sources of unpublished studies and gray literature will include ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, OpenGrey, medRxiv, and bioRxiv. The review will be limited to articles published in English, from 2020 until present day. Two independent reviewers will use a data extraction tool to collect data. Along with a narrative summary, the results will be presented in diagrammatic or tabular format in a manner that aligns with the review objective and questions.