Evacuation solutions for individuals with functional limitations in the built environment: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Safety
• Disability Studies
• Architecture and Urban Planning

Background:

• An increasing number of Canadians face functional limitations impacting daily life participation.
• Existing Canadian evacuation guidelines lack comprehensive strategies for individuals with functional limitations during emergencies.
• The built environment's accessibility improvements necessitate updated evacuation protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review identifying reported solutions for safely evacuating individuals with functional limitations from the built environment.
• To inform revisions of Canadian evacuation guidelines by mapping existing evacuation strategies.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following the Arksey and O'Malley framework.
• Comprehensive database searches (CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, etc.) from January 2002 onwards.
• Independent dual-reviewer screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts using inclusion/exclusion criteria, followed by data extraction.

Main Results:

• This review will present a numerical summary of included studies' characteristics.
• Reported evacuation solutions will be summarized for various evacuation activities and targeted functional limitations.
• Evacuation activities common to different building types and emergencies will be tabulated.

Conclusions:

• This will be the first scoping review to map solutions for evacuating individuals with functional limitations.
• Findings will inform recommendations for revising evacuation guidelines in Canada and globally.
• Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and online platforms.