Instruments for assessing healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding deprescribing: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective To map instruments for assessing healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding deprescribing. Introduction Deprescribing is essential for improving patient outcomes by managing polypharmacy, reducing fall risks and decreasing medication costs. However, there is a limited exploration of healthcare professionals’ perspectives about deprescribing. Methods and analysis Studies involving healthcare professionals directly involved in the medication use process (nurses, pharmacists and physicians) will be included, while those in which it is not possible to identify the professional will be excluded. Any definition of deprescribing, as well as any stage of the deprescribing process, will be included, and those without a clear definition of deprescribing will be excluded. Studies employing instruments for assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals regarding deprescribing, whether validated or not, will be included. Studies focusing on deprescribing algorithms will be excluded. Studies in any healthcare setting will be included. Data will be presented as absolute and relative frequencies, a world heatmap, heatmaps, bar plots or as a word cloud when appropriate. Ethics and dissemination The findings from this review will be discussed with stakeholders and healthcare professionals directly involved in deprescribing processes. Additionally, the results will be disseminated through publications and conference presentations.