FreshRSS

🔒
☐ ☆ ✇ BMJ Open

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) used in ambulatory palliative care for adult patients with cancer in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol

Por: Mathew · M. · Ghoshal · A. · Kabukye · J. K. · Shetty · N. · Dhyani · V. S. · Chakraborty · S. · Shetty · D. K. · B · B. · Salins · N. — Abril 16th 2026 at 16:54
Introduction

The global burden of cancer is increasingly concentrated in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health systems face significant challenges such as late-stage diagnosis, limited resources and restricted access to specialised care. Palliative care plays a vital role in improving symptom control and quality of life for patients with cancer, particularly as care delivery shifts toward ambulatory and community-based settings. In this context, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are crucial for capturing patients’ perspectives on the quality of care. However, the use and characteristics of these instruments in ambulatory palliative care settings within LMICs remain poorly understood. This systematic review aims to identify and map PROMs and PREMs used among adult patients with cancer receiving ambulatory palliative care in LMICs, and to examine their content, psychometric properties and alignment with key domains of quality palliative care.

Methods and analysis

This systematic review protocol was developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA) guidelines. The search will be conducted across seven databases from the database inception to December 2025. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles using Rayyan software to identify studies involving adults (≥18 years) with cancer in ambulatory palliative care settings. Data extraction will capture study characteristics, instrument content and psychometric properties. The final review will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-COSMIN for Outcome Measurement Instruments. A narrative synthesis will be conducted, mapping the identified instruments against the eight domains of the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care to identify measurement gaps and inform future instrument development. A meta-analysis will be conducted if sufficient homogeneity exists.

Ethics and dissemination

This review will include only published data; therefore, no approval is required. The findings of this review will be presented at conferences and published in an open-access peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD420251273579.

☐ ☆ ✇ BMJ Open

Effectiveness of anaemia interventions in indigenous populations across the globe: a systematic review protocol

Por: Thatoju · P. K. · Mallya · S. D. · Dhyani · V. S. · Shetty · R. S. · Kotebagilu · N. P. · Pattanshetty · S. M. · Bhat · R. G. · Kunder · M. A. · Kumar · A. · Kaur · H. · Poobalan · A. — Abril 13th 2026 at 17:30
Introduction

Anaemia is highly prevalent among the indigenous population globally. Several interventions have been used to prevent and manage nutritional anaemia, including dietary measures, health education, oral iron supplements, food fortification and intravenous iron therapy. This protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of interventions for the prevention and treatment of nutritional anaemia in indigenous populations worldwide.

Methods and analysis

The review will include randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and observational studies evaluating interventions, including but not limited to iron and folic acid supplementation, dietary modifications, food fortification, deworming and health education. A robust search strategy will be developed, and six electronic bibliographic databases and Google Scholar will be searched from 2000 to 2025. Two reviewers will independently screen the identified studies, extract data, conduct a critical appraisal and evaluate quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. Based on the level of heterogeneity, a meta-analysis will be conducted using either a fixed-effect or random-effects model, with pooled estimates, and 95% CIs. The I2 statistic will be used to evaluate heterogeneity. When meta-analysis is not feasible, narrative synthesis will be conducted. The impact of the intervention type and delivery model will be investigated using subgroup analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

This systematic review has been registered with PROSPERO. Ethical approval is not required as the study does not collect primary data from participants. The findings will be communicated via peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations at national and international conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD420251120554.

❌