Technologies for care transition at hospital discharge of adult patients: protocol for a scoping review

Abstract

The transition of care at the time of hospital discharge represents a critical phase for ensuring continuity of care and patient safety in adult populations. In this context, health technologies have emerged as promising tools to support this process, offering assistance from discharge planning through to post-discharge monitoring. However, the potential benefits and limitations of these technologies remain insufficiently synthesized in the scientific literature. This study presents the protocol for a scoping review aimed at mapping the available evidence on technologies used to support the transition of care for adult patients at hospital discharge. The review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The review is guided by the following question: What are the strengths and limitations of the technologies employed in the transition of care for adult patients at the time of hospital discharge? Searches will be carried out across seven electronic databases using controlled health-related vocabulary, in addition to gray literature retrieved from four complementary sources. Three independent reviewers will perform the screening and analysis of the studies, with a fourth reviewer available to resolve any disagreements. Primary studies employing various methodological approaches will be included, as well as gray literature such as manuals, dissertations, theses, books, and protocols, published in English or Spanish. Findings will be presented narratively, in tables, and through visual diagrams, following the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines.