Self-efficacy of direct care workers providing care to older people in residential aged care settings: A systematic scoping review protocol
Abstract Background Self-efficacy is developed through a person’s interaction with his/her physical and social environment. Self-efficacy in caring is an essential attribute of care workers to develop a positive attitude towards their clients, improve work performance, and enhance job satisfaction. Care workers’ self-efficacy may vary according to the context in which the care is being provided. Aged care is a multidimensional and challenging setting, and characteristics of aged care services are different from those of acute care services. The objective of this review is to give an overview of the self-efficacy of residential aged care workers in caring for older people and factors influencing their self-efficacy. Methods The protocol for this review is based on the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual for Scoping Review. A systematic search of the literature on electronic databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AgeLine, SCOPUS, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global will be carried out using predefined search terms to identify relevant studies. This review will include all primary studies irrespective of the study design. Two reviewers will independently conduct title and abstract screening, full-text screening, and data extraction. A third reviewer will resolve discrepancies, while the final decision for conflicting studies will be made by consensus within the review team. Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools will be used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Quantitative findings will be presented in narrative form accompanied by tabulated results and a random effects meta-analysis will be conducted to compute the pooled estimates of the impacts of various influencing factors on caring self-efficacy of the direct care workers. Qualitative research findings will be synthesised using the meta-aggregation approach. Discussion This review aims to bring together the evidence on the caring self-efficacy of aged care workers and associated factors. This will be an important source of knowledge to policymakers and aged care providers to understand the self-efficacy of aged care workers in order to support and enhance their self-efficacy and thereby improve their caring behaviours towards their clients. Scoping Review Registration Joanna Briggs Institute Systematic Review Register with the title ‘A scoping review of factors influencing caring efficacy of direct care workers providing care to older people’ ( https://joannabriggs.org/ebp/systematic_review_register )