Health-related quality of life measures in incarcerated populations: protocol for a scoping review

Incarcerated populations represent a vulnerable and marginalised segment of society, with increased health needs and a higher burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Traditional population health outcomes do not capture physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes attempt to measure these important parameters. To date, there has not been a scoping review to summarise the HRQoL literature in the incarcerated population. Thus, we aim to perform such a review to inform health policy decisions in incarcerated populations and support health economic evaluations of interventions in incarcerated populations.

We will conduct a scoping review of the literature on the HRQoL in the incarcerated population informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and the corresponding PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The submissions records of six electronic databases with peer-reviewed literature and three health technology assessment agencies will be searched. The search strategy was informed by recommendations for HRQoL reviews. We will include studies that report HRQoL, health state utility values or reference to quality adjusted life years or quality-adjusted life expectancies of incarcerated populations. No assessments of items' quality will be made, as the purpose of this scoping review is to synthesise and describe the coverage of the evidence. We will also identify knowledge gaps on the HRQoL in the incarcerated population.

Research ethics approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The findings of this scoping review will be used to inform health economic analyses for the incarcerated population and will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.