Parenting experiences of informal caregivers of preterm infants during the first 2 years of life at corrected age: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Objective: The objective of this review is to synthesize qualitative evidence on the parenting experiences of informal caregivers of preterm infants during their corrected age of 2 years. Introduction: Preterm infants, born before 37 weeks’ gestation, are at high risk of growth and neurodevelopmental delays. The parenting journey for these infants presents unique challenges from birth to the transition home, particularly during the infants’ corrected age of 2 years. Understanding informal caregivers’ experiences during this critical time enables health care providers to deliver timely and appropriate interventions for both caregivers and infants; however, qualitative evidence synthesizing this area of research remains limited. Eligibility criteria: This review will examine qualitative data on the parenting experiences (ie, challenges) of informal caregivers of preterm infants from birth to a corrected age of 2 years. Informal caregivers may include parents, grandparents, and other relatives (biological or non-biological) who have a personal relationship with the infant. All informal caregivers will be included, regardless of age, gender, or social or marital status. Caregivers of infants with congenital anomalies or chromosomal abnormalities will be excluded from the review. Methods: This review will adhere to the JBI approach for qualitative systematic reviews. The search strategy aims to identify both published and unpublished studies, with no restrictions on publication year. Studies published in English or Thai will be sourced from PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and Embase (EBSCOhost). Additionally, sources of unpublished studies and gray literature will be explored, including the Mahidol University Library Catalog (OPAC), Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD), and ThaiJo (Thai Journals Online). Two reviewers will independently assess the methodological validity of the selected qualitative papers prior to their inclusion in the review. Data synthesis will employ the meta-aggregation approach, and the synthesized findings will be evaluated using the ConQual approach. Review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024606504