Integrated Rehabilitation Services for Children and Young People with ABI: a scoping review protocol

Background Acquired Brain Injury is a leading cause of acquired disability in children and young people globally. Integrated rehabilitation services are widely acknowledged as essential for supporting functioning and participation; however, practical implementation remains poorly understood. Synthesized evidence on how integrated rehabilitation is defined, delivered, and evaluated in this population is limited.This scoping review aims to map the existing literature on integrated rehabilitation for children and young people with acquired brain injury focusing on conceptualisation, implementation and evaluation across health, community and educational settings. Methods This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for evidence synthesis, informed by Arksey integrated rehabilitation; and relevant rehabilitation settings. A comprehensive three-step search strategy will be performed. An initial limited search for the identified key terms was conducted which identified relevant key words and index terms used to develop a search string. The search string will be adapted for use across five databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, Embase and COCHRANE Database of Systematic Reviews). Reference lists of selected sources and targeted grey literature sources will be searched. Studies addressing integration across disciplines, levels of care and sectors will be included. Two reviewers will conduct screening and extraction, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis for Scoping Reviews will guide the reporting. Conclusion This review will provide a structured overview of the evidence base, identify knowledge gaps, and inform future research. Findings may contribute to understanding how health systems can enable coordinated child- and family centred rehabilitation following paediatric ABI.