Romeu, D. orcid.org/0000-0002-2417-0202, Ambler, F., Brennan, C. orcid.org/0000-0002-5258-8497 et al. (4 more authors) (2025) Emergency care for young people after self-harm: a realist review protocol. BMJ Open, 15 (3). e099554. ISSN 2044-6055
Abstract
Introduction
In England, increasing numbers of young people seek help from emergency healthcare services, such as ambulances and emergency departments, after they self-harm. One contributing factor is a lack of meaningful and available community-based alternative sources of support for self-harm. It is not clear what helps young people in this context, how or why. This research aims to understand which resources are available in the emergency setting for young people (aged ≤25 years) who self-harm in England, and how and why they produce their intended and unintended effects.
Methods and analysis
A realist review is a theory-driven interpretive approach to evidence synthesis. It provides realist logic of inquiry to produce an explanatory analysis of how and why resources work, for whom and in what circumstances. This review has two key components; one will identify the resources available in England for young people who self-harm in the emergency setting, the other will identify initial programme theories from the international literature. The review will closely follow Pawson’s five iterative stages: (1) clarifying scope, (2) evidence search, (3) article selection, (4) data extraction and organisation, and (5) evidence synthesis. Published and grey literature will be reviewed and included. Three key stakeholder groups will be involved throughout the review process, namely two patient and public involvement (PPI) groups (one for young people, one for parents and carers) and an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval is not required for this review. Results will be reported according to Realist And Meta-narrative Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards publication and quality standards. Findings will be disseminated via a peer-reviewed publication in a scientific journal, conference presentations, a study website, an animated video shared via social media and other avenues identified by our PPI groups.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY MEDICINE; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Community child health; Paediatric A&E and ambulatory care; Review; Suicide & self-harm; Humans; Self-Injurious Behavior; Adolescent; England; Research Design; Emergency Medical Services; Young Adult; Review Literature as Topic; Emergency Service, Hospital; Systematic Reviews as Topic |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 25 Mar 2025 10:32 |
Last Modified: | 25 Mar 2025 10:32 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099554 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224795 |