Interventions to improve the self-management support health professionals provide for people with progressive neurological conditions: protocol for a realist synthesis

Introduction Supporting self-management among people with long-term conditions is recognised as an important component of healthcare. Progressive neurological conditions (PNCs), for example, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis are associated with problems such as fatigue and cognitive impairment which may make self-management more challenging. Health professionals may need to develop specific skills in order to provide effective self-management support for these patients. The review aims to develop explanatory theories about how health professional-targeted interventions to improve self-management support provision for people with PNCs operate in different circumstances.

Methods and analysis A realist synthesis of the evidence is proposed. There are 2 priority questions for the review to address. These relate to the role of a shared concept of self-management support within the healthcare team, and the need to tailor the support provided to the requirements of people with PNCs. Key stakeholders will be involved throughout the process. The initial search strategy uses terms relating to (1) self-management, (2) health professionals and (3) PNCs. Searching, data extraction and synthesis will occur in parallel. Studies will be prioritised for inclusion based on anticipated contribution to generating explanatory theories. Key informant interviews are planned to direct supplementary searches and help further refine the theories developed. Results will be expressed in the form of context–mechanism–outcome configurations.

Ethics and dissemination Publication guidelines on realist synthesis will be followed. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and made available to organisations involved in the provision of health professional training.