Summary:
Objective:
This scoping review aims to identify and map the behavioral pain indicators observed when adults with an intellectual disability experience pain.
Introduction:
Adults with an intellectual disability have more health problems than the general population. The likelihood they experience pain is high, but intellectual disability can obstruct the verbal expression of it. Adults with an intellectual disability express pain via behavioral pain indicators, but because no behavioral pain scale exists for this population, an observer may misinterpret the pain of adults with an intellectual disability.
Inclusion criteria:
The review will examine literature about behavioral pain indicators for adults with any type of intellectual disability who are suffering from any type of pain in any country or care setting.
Methods:
The review will be conducted according to JBI recommendations for scoping reviews. A preliminary search equation focusing on the concepts of intellectual disability and pain measurement was prepared for PubMed and CINAHL in March 2022. Once the protocol has been validated, searches will also be carried out in Embase, JBI EBP Database, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, PsycINFO Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection, ERIC, Google Scholar, MedNar, and other significant associations’ websites. Titles and abstracts and then full-text studies will be selected independently by 2 researchers and assessed against the inclusion criteria. Relevant information will be imported into a data chart. Any behavioral pain indicators identified will be classified into 14 behavioral categories.
Review registration number:
Open Science Framework osf.io/8xckf
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Administration
