Implementation and outcomes of structured clinical guidance frameworks for people with chronic illnesses in out-of-hospital respite care settings: protocol for a scoping review

Introduction: Chronic and life-limiting illnesses require coordinated care beyond hospital settings, with increasing emphasis on continuity of care in community and out-of-hospital environments. Respite care plays an important role in supporting both patients and caregivers; however, its delivery is often variable and lacks structured clinical guidance. While several frameworks exist to support chronic and palliative care, these have been primarily studied in broader care settings and have not been systematically examined within out-of-hospital respite care. This scoping review aims to map clinical guidance frameworks used in respite care, describe their components and implementation and identify reported patient-level, caregiver-level and system-level outcomes. Methods and analysis: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A comprehensive search will be undertaken across the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Global Health, along with grey literature sources (ProQuest). Studies of any design including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, implementation studies and service evaluations, published in English from database inception to 31 December 2025 will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen studies, extract data using a structured data-charting form and resolve discrepancies through discussion. Extracted data will be synthesised using descriptive mapping and thematic analysis. Findings will be integrated to identify gaps and implications for low and middle-income country settings. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this review, as it will use publicly available data. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and integration into the ongoing mixed-methods doctoral project. Study registration: Open Science Framework, osf.io/avyzp.