Procedural elements of the complete examination and screening of the healthy term neonate: a protocol for a scoping...

All newborns undergo a Complete Examination and Screening of the Neonate (CESoN) to verify the general health and well-being of the neonate and to screen for signs and symptoms of illness and significant congenital disorders, typically within 72 hours of birth. For healthy, term gestation neonates, this examination is usually performed by a qualified healthcare practitioner that is, a midwife, nurse or physician just prior to discharge from the maternity services. As a precursor to modifying and adapting an instrument that measures the quality of performance of the CESoN by healthcare professionals, this review aims to identify, evaluate, synthesise and map the evidence and theory underpinning current practice and the procedural elements of the CESoN.

This review will be guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and also the recommendations of the Campbell Collaboration for systematic evidence mapping. Based on the research question, the Person, Concept, Context framework will be used to develop eligibility criteria for inclusion in the review. Eligible information shall be sourced by searching electronic databases including PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Scopus, and the published guidance from expert bodies on newborn examination and screening (eg, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) and the grey literature. This study will include primary and secondary research papers, evidence-based guidelines, and expert text and opinions published in English from 2013 to September 2023.

Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review and systematic evidence mapping. The results from this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed format, that is, conference proceedings and peer-reviewed healthcare journals.